Herald of the End
by Mach Farcon
Summary: The world can be forever changed by the simplest of choices. When Sakura takes a different path home one day after the Academy, the events that follow will shake the world. Konoha, what have you created?
1. Chapter 1: The Paths Taken

**So this is one of the numerous plots that currently won't leave me alone. Let me know if you guys want to see more of this story. If so, I'll continue it. If not, I'll move onto another plot bunny.**

**For this plot, it starts as Naruto cannon with a few key differences.**

**First, the Biju are absurdly powerful. This in turn, also makes Jinchuriki also very powerful. Thus, most ninja don't try to mess with the Jinchuriki. After all, why poke the sleeping dragon?**

**Secondly, Naruto is almost completely a Kinesthetic learner. Also, since it isn't explicitly stated in cannon that the Kyubi can see though Naruto's eyes, I am marking that as different then cannon. Since in this one, the Kyubi can see though Naruto's eyes. In addition, given that Naruto will end up a tad bit brighter eventually, the Shadow Clone Technique will not transfer memories. The person who performed the technique will know the clone got dispelled, but will not gain the memories.**

**Thirdly, the third Hokage is much less the "grandfatherly" type and more of the professor type. Also, the spy crystal ball requires that the user have more chakra then the person they are spying on. Normally this isn't an issue since the Hokage typically has the most chakra...**

_ It's funny. It really is. How the world can change forever with the simplest of choices. How something as simple as taking a different path home, talking to someone new, or saying one line too many can change everything._

_ It's funny. It really is. Because if you don't laugh, what can you do?_

The Biju. The tailed demon beasts. Walking localized apocalypses. Unfathomably powerful constructs of chakra. They were as titans to ants when compared to the humans. But humans are clever. What they cannot overcome with strength, they will fight with cunning.

And eventually human cunning allowed for a respite against the Biju. Each Biju was sealed into a ninja from a different shinobi village. These ninja were called Jinchuriki. While the monstrous power of the tailed beast was made inert by being sealed within the ninja, the power of the Biju could not be completely cut off from the world. Each Jinchuriki was granted great and unique powers from their tenant sealed within. They stood far above their fellow ninja in terms of power, men amidst ants.

But carrying such a power was not an easy task, nor was it one that was wanted by many. For even though the Biju was sealed away, it's power and malice were not so easily dismissed. The life of a Jinchuriki was a lonely one. For many feared that the beast within the Jinchuriki could influence the jailer. These fears were not unfounded. Sealing was simultaneously an art form and also a indefinitely complex language. Sometimes the teams of ninja that sealed the beast underestimated the power of the Biju and soon, the Biju would attempt to break free. Such fears were held by many in the ninja villages.

However, not all was bleak for the Jinchuriki. For sometimes they would be approached by more open-minded individuals. In time, these open-minded individuals would often become friends with the Jinchuriki. Jinchuriki, having felt the loneliness of life, would defend their true friends from any threat. It was often said, when thinking of attacking a Jinchuriki's friends, reconsider. Twice. And as far as attacking a Jinchuriki; Don't.

The ninja village of Konoha came under attack by the most powerful of the Biju, the nine-tailed demon fox. The Kyubi. In the space of a half hour, over _half_ _of the entire city_ was destroyed by the rampaging monster. When all hope seemed lost, the fourth Hokage; the village's beloved leader, strode onto the battlefield. On that day, Minato Namikaze stood against the impending utter annihilation, and _denied_ it.

No one is completely sure of what happened between Minato and the Kyubi. But when the dust was settled, the Kyubi was defeated. Minato had sealed the Biju, single-handedly, into a new-born baby. Sadly, the strain of fighting such a monster was too much for even the famed "Yellow Flash". As he died, he was at peace, trusting in the third Hokage and his beloved village of Konoha.

Unfortunately, his trust was grossly misplaced. For scarcely after an hour after the last of the dust had settled; the young baby, named Naruto, was almost assassinated; his caretakers saving the baby by only the slimmest of margins.

It was then that Hiruzen Sarutobi, the newly re-instated third Hokage, made his first meaningful act as Hokage. He ordered that all talk of Naruto's Jinchuriki status was to be banned, under the pain of death, for he feared for the life of the baby. The baby Naruto would be sent to the orphanage, along with the other orphans, and was given the last name of Uzumaki.

But Hiruzen seemingly underestimated the darker side of human emotion. As time went on, the rumors of what had happened that night, concerning young Naruto, slowly spread. And the pain of those who suffered under the demon fox's rage began to change into hate. Soon, ironically, it became widespread belief in the village that young Naruto _himself_ was the reincarnated powerless Kyubi. And like all hateful people, they began lashing out at the object of their hate. After a mob was stopped by the Hokage's personal guard, the village got _smart._ They began a carefully orchestrated plan that would deprive young Naruto of any friends or education. They also began to find ways to find the Jinchuriki alone, and there they would extract their _vengeance. _

It has been over nine years since that fateful night...

Naruto Uzumaki grinned happily to himself as he prepared for the day. Today was Practical Physical Day! Naruto loved these days. He wasn't very good at theory or testing, but he was quite good at the physical aspects of the shinobi world. His extremely high stamina, increased healing rate, and his unstoppable determination led him to easily dominate any physical challenge. Minus, of course, sparring matches. Those seemed to always have rules that prevented Naruto from winning often.

Never the less, today was going to be a good day!

The Kyubi snorted at his container's thoughts. He wondered yet again why he had gotten such a stupid jailer. For the longest time, many years ago, the Kyubi was sealed within a different jailer. His jailer at that time was named Mito Uzumaki. The seal had kept the Kyubi trapped in a endless white plane, the fox itself chained to a floating rock.

Eventually Mito grew too old to continue housing the Nine-tails. Kushina Uzumaki, another member of Mito's clan, was chosen to house the beast. After the Kyubi was transferred to Kushina, she would often visit the Kyubi in the endless plane to talk about her life and the world around her. She unintentionally became the Kyubi's only window into the outside world.

Then, abruptly, the Kyubi was released and then resealed into Naruto in short order. But Naruto's seal was different. Unlike all of the previous seals, Naruto's seal allowed the Kyubi's potent chakra to constantly leak, in a very miniscule trickle, into its container. It also allowed the Kyubi to experience the world though Naruto's eyes. And for the first time, it saw the darker side of humanity. The side that hated, feared, and loathed a small boy, who had no idea what he had ever done wrong to receive such hate. All the Kyubi could do was heal his little container once the beatings were over. And the Kyubi began to _hate. _As the years and beatings grew, it began to hate _more._ One day, the Kyubi promised itself, this village would pay. _All of them_. Well, besides those two at the ramen stand. They had treated his jailer well. They got to live.

Naruto opened the door to his classroom at the Ninja Academy. As he entered, his sky-blue eyes swept the classroom, looking for a seat. Suddenly he was spun around and knocked to the ground as two girls, Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno, sped past him in an effort to reach the seat located next to their "true love" Sasuke Uchiha! Ino's blonde hair whipped about her head as she shoved Sakura away at the last second, claiming the spot next to Sasuke with an exuberant cry of victory, much to Sakura's loud proclamations of dismay.

Naruto was unaware of any of this, however. He had instead succumbed into unconsciousness as his head had slammed into the metal door frame when he was knocked down. A slow trickle of blood leaked from his newest head wound as he lay there still.

Mizuki had been prepared to have a terrible day. Not only would he have to put up with a bunch of little brats running and screaming about, he had to also watch the demon child enjoy itself. His day, however, suddenly became a lot better when he was about to enter the classroom he was supposed to teach in. The little demon fox was laying on his back, blood slowly pooling around his head. "_The stupid little shit probably slipped and hurt itself."_ Mizuki thought to himself, highly amused. It was unfortunate, but Mizuki knew that such an injury wouldn't keep the demon-spawn down for long. It was in that instant Mizuki had a stroke of genius. He knew exactly how to ruin the demon's day!

Naruto let out a slight groan as he sat up. _"I wonder why my head hurts."_ He thought. He slowly rubbed the back of his head as he stood up, the headache disappearing as he did so. Naruto blinked when he looked at the hand that had been rubbing the back of his head. It was covered in blood. Had any observer looked closely at Naruto in that moment, they would have come to the chilling realization; that Naruto wasn't particularly worried about his own blood covering his hand, but rather he was simply curious to how he had been bleeding. It was almost like this hadn't been the first time...

Seeing the demon stand up, Mizuki carefully manufactured a look of great concern before he called Naruto over to his desk. "_This was going to be great"_, Mizuki thought, being careful to keep any emotion that wasn't the manufactured care off his face.

Naruto made his way over to Mizuki-sensei's desk. He wondered what he had done wrong now. Mizuki looked over at Naruto as he stepped up to his desk.

"Naruto. I saw that you slipped and fell trying to walk through the door." Mizuki made no effort to lower his voice, nor did he attempt to stop the class from laughing at Naruto's perceived clumsiness as he continued, "And with such an injury I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to participate into day's events." Mizuki paused, inwardly savoring the moment before continuing, "Why don't you go to your parents and have them get you checked out by a medic-nin. I'm sure they would care enough about you to help you out!" The look of shocked pain and sadness in the little shit's eyes made Mizuki's week. Hell, it practically made his month!

As Naruto opened his mouth to protest, Mizuki let some of his anger at the fox bleed into his voice as he reprimanded Naruto. "You're not going to defy the orders of a _teacher_ are you? That's grounds for expulsion you know!" Mizuki watched Naruto's countenance fall as he whispered out an apology and quickly left the class with slumped shoulders. Mizuki could barely withhold the utter glee from appearing on his face as he watched the demon fox leave his class room, not noticing that the events had drawn the attentions of two of his students.

Sakura felt slightly confused. She didn't like Naruto in the slightest. He was loud, annoying, untalented, and rather stupid. But...somehow...when he left, it felt like the room was just not as bright as before. After a moments of contemplation, she shook her head, her pink hair swaying from side-to-side as she did so. Why should she _care_ about that looser? With those encouraging thoughts in mind, she turned back around to continue arguing with Ino about the seating arrangement.

Hinata Hyuga also watched Naruto leave the class. However, unlike her other classmates, she watched Naruto with a sinking feeling of dismay. There was something just so...wrong with Naruto's continence being down. It just didn't fit with her view of the sunny-haired eternally happy blonde she watched from afar. Her eyes cut to Mizuki-sensei, and she felt that something was off. That he somehow had _made Naruto sad._ And if that was the case, Hinata felt a very uncharacteristic surge of anger towards her sensei. A small portion of the quiet and gentle girl felt horror at the darker turn of her thoughts, but most of her wondered how hard it would be to turn off her teacher's tenketsu or his chakra pathways...

Naruto sniffled to himself as he left the Academy, his teachers unintentionally hurtful words echoing in his mind. With a deep shuddering breath, Naruto shoved all the pain and hurt he felt deep inside. After all, if they never knew what hurt you, they wouldn't try the things that really _hurt_.

_ "So I can't train today at the academy, huh?"_ Naruto thought defiantly, _"Then I'll just train myself! I'll show them! I'll train myself to be the best ninja ever!" _Naruto finished his thoughts with an exultant fist pump, before excitedly running off to grab his kunai and shuriken, not realizing that his mask of unending happiness was unconsciously slipping back into place.

The Kyubi grinned to itself at his container's words. His jailer, while still rather stupid, had enough determination to rival even the strongest ninja. Granted, it didn't matter as much since determination _alone_ wouldn't get them far in life, but it was a good thing to have none the less.

The Demon Fox eyed the newest crack in his container's mindscape. _It wouldn't be long now until Naruto broke. Then they would all __**pay!**_

Sakura hummed happily to herself as she skipped down the path towards home, the Academy having let out for the day. Normally she would have walked though town, but today she had decided to walk the more scenic route. Her happy thoughts about "Sasuke-Kun" were suddenly and irrevocably shattered when a kunai whizzed by her head! With a shocked and frightened look on her face, she hesitantly looked in the direction that the kunai had come from. Her fear quickly turned to anger as she saw Naruto staring at his raised hand in confusion.

_ "Why did the kunai fly backwards?"_ Naruto wondered in befuddlement as he stared at his hand. His wonderings were abruptly shattered when Sakura's fist crashed down on his head. "Baka! What were you thinking! You could have hit me!" Sakura screamed as she shook her fist in Naruto's face.

"I was just trying to learn how to throw kunai!" Naruto explained as calmly as he could while holding onto his temporally hurting head. "What about the pictures in our text book, Baka! Why didn't you look at those?" Sakura shot back, annoyed at Naruto's lack of proper studying habits as well as his general stupidity.

"What pictures?" Naruto asked, rather stupidly in Sakura's opinion. Sakura, spying Naruto's textbook laying on the ground, _unopened_, stormed over to it and began flipping to the kunai section, preparing to show the baka exactly what she was talking about.

Sakura opened the correct page with a angered flick of her thumb. "See Baka! The pictures are right...here?" Sakura's voice trailed off as she looked down at the page and saw no pictures or diagrams of how to throw a kunai. She wasn't even sure there was any useful information on the page at all! "That can't be right." Sakura mumbled to herself as she double-checked the page number from the reference page.

Sakura set Naruto's textbook down and pulled out her _own_ textbook. Flipping to the kunai section, she was greeted by numerous pictures and diagrams. She cast her gaze towards Naruto's textbook. They had the same page number! What was going on? She just didn't understand! Naruto's hesitant voice brought her out of her confused thoughts.

"Could I look at the pictures real quick?" Naruto shyly asked Sakura, expecting to be turned down. Sakura blinked before shrugging. It couldn't hurt, could it? She held the book up for Naruto to look at. Naruto slowly looked at each picture, a look of intense concentration on his face. Suddenly a look of complete _comprehension_ passed over his face and he abruptly walked over to pick-up a discarded kunai.

Sakura, in spite of herself, was slightly curious of what could make _Naruto_ of all people think he understood something. Naruto's hand snapped forward. He stared at the target. Sakura stared at the target unbelievingly. Naruto had hit the inner ring of the target!

"M-maybe it was just a fluke?" She questioned. Naruto nodded, knowing that he wasn't this good normally. He then proceeded to flick all of the other kunai he had on his person at the target, one by one, nearly hitting the center of the target each time!

Naruto turned Sakura and happily thanked her. "Thanks for letting me look at your book Sakura-chan! It helped me out a bunch!"

Sakura felt her cheeks warm slightly as she tried to wave off Naruto's gratitude. "It's all right. It wasn't a big deal." A sudden thought occurred to her. She took a deep breath before hesitantly voicing it. "I'll show you my books each day if you promise to always show up to class and don't be loud."

Naruto gave Sakura his extremely rare _true_ smiles as he nodded, awed that someone would help _him_. For Sakura, Naruto's smile was so bright and joyful that _the sun itself_ seemed dull in comparison. Naruto stuck out his hand to Sakura. As she shook it Naruto, remembering what Sakura-chan said about being loud, stated firmly; "I'll be everyday in class! And I'll be much quieter! It's a promise of a lifetime!"

_And so the world is forever changed._

**So what did you think? Good? Bad? Drop a review and let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2: Catalyst

**Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I had quite a bit of trouble with nailing down a few people's personalities. It would have been easy to simply demonize everyone who has caused Naruto problems, but that wouldn't be realistic nor would it have been following cannon. While I am not going to be following cannon, due to the characters will be reacting differently, until a non-cannon moment happens, all characters should "feel" like their cannon counter-parts.**

**In addition, I couldn't find what Sakura's mother did as her vocation, so I decided to make her a medic/nurse. Since the show doesn't directly say, I'm marking this as a AU character departure to be safe.**

**To Asterisk Blue: While the Naruto/Sakura pairing isn't set in stone, I am leaning towards it. I honestly feel that Naruto/Sakura would have been cannon had Sakura met Naruto sooner. That being said, Hinata isn't out of the race yet.**

**To evermirror: I'll try to keep it up!**

**Machfarcon doesn't own Naruto.**

**And without further delay, here's Chapter 2: Catalyst**

* * *

><p>Iruka Umino let out a relieved sigh as the door closed behind the last of his students for the day. The last two years had been...interesting. Since the Naruto's abrupt change in class behavior two years ago, many changes had taken place. It had started out slowly, but had quickly spread out to affect all of the students of his class.<p>

The first was Sakura Haruno. She had somehow befriended Naruto. And as Iruka soon realized, when you were close to Naruto, you couldn't just simply stay on the sidelines. Sakura soon found a drive to be the Top Kunoichi of her class. She quickly rose though the rankings until she reached the coveted position. One would think that she could slack off at this point, but Hinata Hyuga was always directly behind her in terms of rankings; so Sakura could not slack off, least she loose the top position.

And speaking of Hinata, she had undergone a character change of sorts. She was still the same gentle girl from before most of the time, but now with a drive to be the Top Kunoichi. She constantly succeed in all of her classes, and only her gentle and timid nature stopped her from being the Top Kunoichi. However, if you badmouthed Naruto in her presence, she had this..._look_. A look that said that if you were eager to die, you should continue. It was made all the more unnerving by its complete contrast to her normal quiet disposition.

_"At least she wasn't as bad as Sakura when it came to Naruto."_ Iruka rationalized. He remembered when it first became obvious that insulting or belittling Naruto within Sakura's hearing was bad for one's health. ..

_ "It's because Naruto is stupid. " One of the students helpfully offered when asked why Naruto didn't understand theory as easily as the other students. Most of the students had laughed at the comment. But unlike before, Sakura wasn't one of them. She instead stood up from her desk and calmly walked over to the laughing student. Sadly, the student ignored the obvious danger that was walking his way, and continued to make jokes about Naruto's lack of mental facilities. _

_ "Did you call Naruto stupid?" Sakura asked in a calm tone, with only her clenched fists betraying her anger. The student had grinned and replied that he had. Sakura promptly decked him. She then loomed over his body as he whimpered, his nose bloody and broken, and angrily threatened that she would re-break his face each time he said something bad about Naruto._

It had only taken two more incidents before the class realized that Sakura was very serious about _violently_ protecting Naruto's honor.

Strangely, even though Sakura was one of Naruto's only friends, she still declared herself as Sasuke's "true love". This led to many of the girls in the class, especially the ones of Sasuke's fan club, to train themselves much harder to keep up with Sakura. And because all of the _girls_ were training harder, the boys soon followed. Couldn't have the boys fall behind now could we?

And lastly, but perhaps the most obvious, was Naruto himself. Iruka had believed for the longest time that Naruto was simply untalented. That even though Naruto tried his best, he simply didn't have the talent necessary to succeed. However, about the same time Naruto became friends with Sakura, he seemed to have some switch thrown. He began to listen in class. He was quieter and didn't scream about being "the best ninja ever". And when it was Practical days, well, Naruto _dominated_ them.

But sometimes Iruka caught glimpses of something..._darker_ lurking behind Naruto's bright, innocent eyes. Iruka remembered when he had gotten a glimpse of it during a sparring match.

_It had been a normal day in class. Sakura was answering all of the questions that she was asked on the first try. However, some students didn't appreciate a non-clan student answering so many questions. One student in particular had made a comment quite loudly to his friend about the size of Sakura's forehead compared to her brain size. Right after the hurtful words had left his mouth, it seemed that the air itself grew colder. Students shifted uneasily in their seats, all of them quiet for once. And then Naruto spoke to the formerly jeering student._

_ "You made Sakura sad. I'll remember that." Naruto's voice was quiet, but it had a certain...deadly calm about it. Soon after the oppressive atmosphere lifted and the lesson resumed. After a few days, it seemed that all of the people that had been present had forgotten all about the incident. _

_ It was little over two weeks later before Iruka saw anything like that from Naruto again. It was Practical Physical day. The students were randomly matched up to spar against one another. And as luck would have it, Naruto was matched up with Sakura's tormentor. What happened next would be forever ingrained in Iruka's memory._

_ After the match started, Naruto just stood there. Watching his...opponent. Then he spoke._

_ "Remember what I told you? How I wouldn't forget?" Naruto's voice was deadly calm, but somehow far worse than if he had screamed it._

_ And then Naruto moved. It wasn't a spar. It wasn't even really a fight. It was probably the most one-sided fight Iruka had ever seen. Naruto's movements and blows seemed to flow from one to another. Each hit was far beyond what any academy student should know. Iruka didn't even spot a hint of the Academy Style in any of Naruto's movements. And the worst part was that Naruto could have ended the fight within the first few seconds. But he continued to...fight his opponent for a minute thirty seconds. At that point, a powerful uppercut from Naruto had knocked the student though the air onto the ground several feet away. _

_ Naruto stalked forward towards the student. When he got close to the student, Naruto had reached down with one hand, and with a impressive show of strength, hoisted the frightened bigger boy off the ground by his collar. _

_ Naruto leaned close to the student and had said in his chillingly calm voice, "Now if you say anything bad about Sakura or my friends again, I'll really __**hurt**__ you." As he finished, the same oppressive air as before had settled over the ring. "Do you __**understand**__?" Naruto asked, this time a hint of anger in his tone. _

_ The student nodded frantically, too scared to speak. Naruto let the atmosphere linger for a moment longer. Then, once again with one hand, had simply tossed the student outside of the ring._

_Stunned silence followed. Iruka saw Naruto blink, and then the happy-go-lucky Naruto was back._

Iruka sighed again. He loved being a teacher, but some days were more difficult than others. Ah, well, at least it was a holiday weekend...

* * *

><p>Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed heavily as he finished the paperwork for the day. The last two years had been...trying. It seemed that he kept getting more and more paperwork, keeping him at the office for longer and longer periods of time. Hell, he hadn't even been able to visit Naruto in over a year.<p>

It may be just as well, Hiruzen admitted to himself. He had enjoyed a close friendship with Naruto, the village's Jinchuriki, until about 4 years ago. Then abruptly, Naruto had slowly stepped away from their relationship. To this day, Hiruzen had no idea _why_. And since he couldn't spy on Naruto using the spy crystal ball, he had left it up to Naruto to take care of himself. After all, Naruto was the Jinchuriki. And Konoha's last Jinchuriki grew up just fine on her own. Besides, Hiruzen justified it, all the village would do is a little name calling against Naruto.

_"I'll visit Naruto the day after the Kyubi Festival. I'm sure he wants to participate in the festival with his friends." _Hiruzen decided with a nod. He then withheld another heavy sigh as he looked over at the massive pile of paperwork still awaiting his attention.

* * *

><p>Sakura frowned as she watched Naruto hurry away. He had said something about seeing Teuchi and Ayame, the owners of Ichiraku Ramen, before he had to stay away for a few days. Sakura's face twisted up into an thoughtful look as she pondered the mystery that was Naruto. Naruto, while perhaps not the smartest person around, was a great friend. Perhaps even her best friend. But she wasn't blind. Many villagers seemed to greatly dislike Naruto for some strange, unknown, illogical reason.<p>

And one of the few things Sakura hated was illogical puzzles that didn't _need_ to be puzzles. And she, Sakura admitted to herself, wanted to help Naruto. So Sakura steeled herself, for she was going to do something she thought she never would do. Ask _Hinata_ for help.

Hinata watched as Naruto ran off after saying something to Sakura. _"Did she say something to make him leave?"_ Hinata wondered, slowly getting angry as she thought, _"If she did, I-I'll do something back! No one hurts Naruto-Kun!"_

Hinata was startled out of her thoughts by Sakura's voice as she ran up to her. "Hinata! Do you have a minute?" Sakura asked.

Drawing upon all of her Hyuga formal training, Hinata turned and coldly asked, "What do you want _Haruno_?_"_

Sakura was visibly taken aback by Hinata's tone, and she defensibly replied, "W-well, Naruto has gone off to visit Ichiraku's, but he's acting odd. " Sakura, seeing Hinata start to calm down, hurried on with her explanation. "But it's different than normal. He's acting like he won't see them for a few days!"

Hinata's entire demeanor changed upon hearing Sakura's explanation. "W-what do you th-think is going on?" She stuttered in worry, half expecting Naruto to pop-up and congratulate her on only stuttering twice. When Naruto didn't appear, her worry intensified, "M-maybe we sh-should go visit him at his h-house!" Hinata finished, very concerned about her...friend.

Sakura snapped her fingers and said excitedly, "Yeah! Good idea! We'll go to Naruto's house and see what's wrong!" After a moment, Sakura's jubilation faded as she realized a critical flaw in their plan. "Wait. I have no idea where Naruto lives!" Her head snapped to face Hinata, prompting a small squeak of surprise from the pale-eyed girl. "Hinata! Where does Naruto live?" Sakura interrogated.

"I-I d-don't k-know!" Hinata stuttered, badly rattled by Sakura's intensity. Sakura looked positively put-out by Hinata's reply. How were they supposed to find Naruto now?

"Damn it!" Sakura burst out. "How are we supposed to find Naruto now?" She shouted. Hinata was starting to shy away from Sakura's now open ranting. "And what's with all of the looks people give Naruto? Huh? What did he ever do to them?" Sakura took a several deep aggravated breaths as she recovered from her rant.

"W-what w-would Naruto-Kun d-do in this s-situation?" Hinata questioned, half to herself. Sakura snorted. "Please. The baka would ask me," She attempted to mimic Naruto's voice as she imagined what he would say, "Sakura-Chan! Did you read about this type of thing in one of those books you read?" Sakura then replied back in her normal tone, "No Naruto. I haven't read a book on where people live. That would be at the Shinobi Library." Sakura froze as soon as she finished the sentence. Hinata's and her eyes met.

* * *

><p>Naruto hummed happily to himself as he left Ichiraku's. That had been a good meal! He silently mourned the loss of ramen for a few days, but it wasn't safe for him to be out so close to the Kyubi Festival. Mobs of both Ninja and civilian alike tended to look for him on those days. Naruto shuddered slightly in remembrance. Last time they had caught him, it had taken him almost 4 days to completely heal! It had hurt a lot. Naruto, remembering some of the things that they had done, was once again <em>thankful<em> that they hadn't gone for his eyes that time. But, Naruto reminded himself, he did get a lot of Kunai from them though. So it wasn't all bad.

As he walked happily home, he failed to notice several shadows following him, waiting to catch the young blonde alone. A sudden blow to Naruto's side sent him flying into a conveniently abandoned alleyway. Naruto grunted softly to himself as he pushed himself off the ground. What had hit him?

The three crowding shadows instantly told him what had happened. Naruto took a deep breath, stifling the icy panic that raced though his veins. He dropped into his combat stance. They weren't getting him without a fight. _Not this time!_

"Look at this boys! The demon thinks that it can defeat us!" One of the two of the shinobi's crowed as he walked into the ally with his friend.

As they walked closer and closer, Naruto felt his adrenaline begin to pump though his veins. His vision became sharper. Sounds became louder. The smell of the ally increased. Naruto tensed, each muscle waiting in unison to be _unleashed._ Then Naruto charged!

Naruto's left hand slammed into the first ninja's stomach, knocking him back several feet! The second ninja noticed his friend flying away and swung his fist at Naruto with a snarl of rage. Naruto twisted out of the way of the fist, grabbed the extended arm, and pulled himself towards the shocked shinobi's head. Naruto's knee smashed into the ninja's face with a loud _crunch!_ Naruto hammered his fists into the side of the shinobi's temples, causing the stunned ninja to start to fall backwards as Naruto leapt over the ninja. Naruto reached back and grabbed the shinobi's face as he fell; slamming the back of the ninja's head into the hard dirt as he landed with a dull _thud_. Naruto dashed off, heading towards the open street and relative safety.

He was only _three _steps from the road when his body froze. "Shadow Imitation Technique". The third ninja spat. Naruto found himself, unwillingly, walking back into the ally. After walking back past the unconscious ninja he had beaten, Naruto was released from the binding shadows. Before could react, he felt piercing pain in both of his hands as he slammed into the wall several feet off the ground.

Naruto gasped in pain and looked over at his hand. A kunai was buried deep in his hand, pinning Naruto to the wall. The ninja's enraged voice brought his attention back to the two ninja in front of him.

"You Monster! You hurt Gorou! I'll kill you for that! Slowly!" He screamed. He threw two more kunai at Naruto, both smashing into Naruto's lungs with a wet _thump_. Naruto choked as he felt his lungs slowly start to fill with blood. He refused to cry out in pain. _He wouldn't give them the satisfaction._

The Shinobi sneered, "No cries? Don't worry demon, I'll make you scream yet!" The ninja slowly withdrew another Kunai. Naruto's eyes widened. Naruto begin to struggle.

Both of the ninja's eyes widened in fear as Naruto began to slowly pull the kunai out of the wall. "Quick! Do something!" The shinobi with the kunai shouted to his partner.

"Right! Kagemane no Jutsu!"

Naruto slammed back into the wall with enough force to drive the air out of his lungs. He choked and his throat burned as he fought for air though the blood that was filling his mouth. A searing pain in his abdomen snapped him back to the ninja. The shinobi with the kunai had buried it deep within his abdomen with a growl of hate.

"What are you going to do now little demon? Going to cry?" The ninja mocked. Naruto glared defiantly back at the ninja and spat a massive glob of blood in his face. The ninja jerked back as he got hit, hissing in disgust. Naruto locked eyes with the shinobi and drew in a breath to spit again. The ninja _flinched_.

The shinobi paused. He made eye contact with Naruto. Naruto looked back. They both knew who was the real _coward_ was. The ninja looked away. Then he stepped forward with a snarl and grabbed the kunai still buried within Naruto's abdomen. He, with a malicious smile, began to slowly cut his way upwards, slowly slicing his way though muscle and organs.

The pain was almost indescribable. But Naruto knew that he had to fight though the pain and escape. Otherwise, he was going to die! But he couldn't die. Not here. Not now! He hadn't accomplished his dream! So Naruto began to _push_. He pushed against the shadow, both inside his mind and the one outside holding him prisoner.

The dark smile froze on the shinobi's face as dark blue chakra began to waft from Naruto's bloody body. Naruto began straining against the bonds holding him. The Nara commanding the shadow that was binding Naruto began to feel the strain of holding the _demon_ at bay. A low roar began building up in Naruto's throat as the chakra intensified. Both of the shinobi were blasted back as Naruto _roared,_ shattering the shadow's hold on him.

The petrified ninjas quickly grabbed their friend and left, not wanting to be around the _demon_ nor did they want to be there when the Anbu arrived to investigate Naruto's chakra spike.

Naruto never noticed them leave, he was quickly loosing blood as he heaved his body forward, again and again, as the kunais slowly detached from the wall. After what seemed to be a pain-filled lifetime, the kunais gave way; letting Naruto fall onto the ground with a muted _thump_. Naruto swallowed a scream of pain that threatened to erupt from his throat as the kunais were driven deeper into him as he hit the ground. After several failed attempts, Naruto finally heaved himself to his knees.

He brought a shaking hand slowly in front of him, staring at the kunai rammed deep in his hand. With all the blood Naruto had lost, it took him several seconds to figure out the best way to remove the kunai from his hand. Naruto took a deep rattling breath and steeled himself. He raised his hand towards his mouth. He gripped the kunai's metal ring in his teeth. Naruto _pulled._

Naruto clutched his bleeding, kunai-free hand to his chest, barely withholding a whimper of pain. After the pain subsided a little bit, Naruto slowly reached over and pulled the kunai out of his other hand. After Naruto pulled the kunai out, he realized that he was feeling a little numb, as if he was viewing his actions outside of his body. He carefully wrapped his blood soaked hands around the two kunai imbedded in his chest, and gently pulled them out. As blood began to rapidly fill his lungs, Naruto quickly reached down and jerked the kunai from his abdomen. The kunai clattered to the ground as Naruto vomited and coughed, his body desperately trying to rid itself of the blood pooling within. Naruto's eyes burned with unshed tears as his body expelled blood, bile, and ramen. Eventually, Naruto was able to halt his body's violent heaves and staggered to his feet. He made it several steps forward before the roaring in his ears became too much and Naruto pitched forward into _blackness._

* * *

><p>Sakura breathed out a sigh of annoyance. Who knew that looking for someone's address could be so difficult? Tracking down Naruto was quite hard and the library lady wasn't helping them in the slightest. Sakura was certain that the librarian had been giving them discreet disapproving looks for looking for Naruto. Sakura snorted quietly. As if she cared what some old lady thought about them!<p>

Hinata carefully looked around. _"Where would the information we need be?"_ She wondered thoughtfully. As she scanned the book titles in front of her, a sudden inspiration hit her. What if they tracked down Naruto's parents instead? They would have to be in the Book of Citizens right?

Sakura huffed again. _"Stupid Naruto. He's causing trouble even when he isn't here. Why couldn't he have just told me what's wrong so I can help fix it?"_ She thought in annoyance and slight hurt. Hinata's voice broke her out of the slight self-pity Sakura was slowly spiraling into.

"S-Sakura-san! I-I think I h-have an idea to find N-Naruto-Kun!" Hinata said excitedly as she walked up to Sakura. Sakura spun around to face Hinata, the look on Sakura's face prompting her to continue with her idea. "I-If we go look for N-Naruto-Kun's parents, we s-should find him!" She concluded, half expecting Sakura to decry her idea; especially if Sakura's narrowing eyes were any indication.

"That's a good idea Hinata! Let's go do that right now!" Sakura ordered, a portion of her thoughts wondering why part of Hinata's explanation bothered her so much. The two girls quickly moved to the records section of the library. They quickly found the genealogy volumes that kept the names of everyone with the last name starting with "U". The girls quickly decided to split the volumes up between the two of them.

After about an hour of reading, the girls had gone though several of the volumes. As Sakura neared the end of her forth volume, she found Naruto Uzumaki. However, there was a problem with the records. Namely the fact that Naruto's status was "orphan." Luckily, Naruto's address was still listed.

"Hinata!" Sakura spoke, startling the blue-haired girl out of her reading, "I found it!" Hinata quickly moved over to Sakura to look at the information.

"N-Naruto-Kun is an o-orphan!" Hinata exclaimed in surprise, feeling something tickling at the back of her brain. Something wasn't...right about Naruto's status. Suddenly Hinata remembered _that day_ just over two years ago...

_"...Why don't you go to your parents and have them get you checked out by a medic-nin. I'm sure they would care enough about you to help you out!"_

Hinata gasped. Misuki-Sensei had _meant_ to _hurt_ Naruto-Kun! Hinata was distracted from her building anger as Sakura asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Hinata turned away from Sakura as she asked, "D-Do you r-remember the d-day Naruto was k-kicked out of c-class t-two years ago? The d-day that y-you met N-Naruto-Kun after t-the academy?"

Sakura blinked. She remembered that day well, she still felt slightly guilty for laughing at Naruto. "Yes." She said crossly as she folded her arms, "I remember. What of it?"

"What did Misuki say to Naruto-Kun?"

Sakura paused. Her forehead crinkled as she tried to remember his exact words. Hinata waited. After a few moments, Sakura's face darkened. Hinata knew an explosion was inevitable.

"Who the hell did he think he was?! Making Naruto sad like that!" Sakura shouted, her clenched fists trembling in anger. "When I see him next, I'll punch his lights out!" Sakura continued ranting for the next few moments, her voice echoing in the quiet library.

"Shhh!" Hinata hushed Sakura quietly, not wanting to get kicked out of the library. "F-Finding N-Naruto-Kun is more i-important right n-now! W-We'll get Misuki b-back l-later."

Sakura let out a angry "Arrrg!", as she threw up her hands and stormed out of the library. Hinata hurried after her.

As the two headed deeper into Konoha, Sakura suddenly stopped as she exclaimed, "Oh damn! I have to go tell my parents where I am going!" She suddenly spun on her heel and started to sprint off towards her house. "Come on!" She shouted to Hinata, "The faster we go talk to them, the faster we can find Naruto!"

"W-wait f-for m-me!" Hinata quietly shouted back as she chased after Sakura.

After an exhausting twenty minute run, Sakura arrived at her house. The picturesque, two story home felt...different to Hinata. It was odd, Hinata thought, for she felt like this simple two story home had more life and care then practically all of the Hyuga clan-homes combined. Sakura simply barged in the front door and shouted for her mother.

"Mom! Are you here?" She called, wanting to get this finished quickly. Sakura's mother, Mebuki, called back down. "I'm upstairs Sakura-chan! I just got called into the hospital! You can come up to talk!"

Sakura motioned to Hinata to follow her as she headed up the steps. Sakura walked into her mother's room, spying Mebuki gathering up her nursing tools. "Mom, Hinata and I are going to be spending a few hours with a friend. Is that all right?"

Mebuki turned to face Sakura, her face smoothing into a happy smile. "Of course dear! What's your friend's name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Mebuki froze, the blood draining from her face. "Oh no." Sakura, feeling her stomach drop, tried to deny what her mind had just realized. "Mom? Naruto is fine, right?"

Mebuki gave Sakura a sad shake of her head. "He's the reason I am going in." Seeing Sakura and Hinata about to cry, hurried on to say, "Why don't you two come with me? I'm sure Naruto will want his friends there when he wakes up." Sakura and Hinata nodded. Naruto's condition couldn't be that bad. Right?

* * *

><p><strong>So what did you think? Throw a review over and let me know!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Chaos Theory

**Well, it appears that almost everyone wants it to be a Naruto/Sakura/Hinata story. I must confess that I originally didn't plan on it being a multiple partner story, but after thinking about it, it could work. So I if you guys really want it to be a Naruto/Sakura/Hinata story, let me know. **

**This is the first part of the story where the cannon characters are significantly changing due to events that happen. Expect it to slowly spiral out of cannon events soon. Or rather, certain cannon events will happen, but how they are dealt with will be completely different.**

**On that note, I noticed that it would be possible for Naruto to end up in a team with Sakura and Hinata, but it's not the most likely option. So what I propose is this: If you guys give me a few reasons why Naruto should be placed on a team with Sakura and Hinata, I will place him on that team. Otherwise, he will be placed on the Cannon Team 7 with Sakura and Sasuke. **

**I am a huge fan of Fridge Brilliance and Fridge Horror. Thus, there is little things scattered though the story that only make sense once you think about it.**

**I moved the review section to the bottom, since you awesome guys reviewed quite a bit. **

**And without further delay, here's the next chapter: Chaos Theory**

* * *

><p>Mebuki Haruno hurried towards the Konoha Hospital. Sakura, her daughter, and Sakura's friend, Hinata, hurried after her. After traveling for nearly twenty minutes, the three arrived at the Hospital. Mebuki approached the front desk and asked where her patient was located at.<p>

"Excuse me. I am wondering what room Naruto Uzumaki is in." She asked the receptionist politely. The receptionist replied after reviewing the room chart, "He is in room 317." Mebuki thanked the receptionist and motioned to Sakura and Hinata to follow her to the waiting room. Once she got the girls settled, not before they extracted a promise that she would tell them of Naruto's condition, she headed for room 317.

Whatever Mebuki was expecting when she entered the room, this wasn't it. It took all of her medic-nin training to avoid vomiting. Naruto had been dumped on the hospital bed, his seemingly fatal wounds slowly bleeding onto the bed sheets. Naruto's pale, waxen face twitched as his unconscious body gurgled as he fought for each breath. In short, Naruto was the most alive dead-looking person Mebuki had ever met. Mebuki took a deep breath and steeled herself. Then she got to work.

* * *

><p>Sakura and Hinata grew more and more worried when Sakura's mother didn't reappear to inform them of Naruto's status. Sakura knew, from her mother's stories of the hospital, that spending a lot of time with an injured patient meant that there was either complications or the patient was seriously injured. Neither option was appealing to Sakura. She nervously nibbled on her lip as she cast a worried glance towards the door her mother had left through.<p>

Hinata wished, not for the first time, that her eyes would not consume so much chakra to use her bloodline. She wished that she could have the power to see though walls easily like her fellow clans-men. That way, she could see that Naruto was fine. Hinata closed her eyes and began to concentrate on bringing chakra to her eye to activate her bloodline. She had never been too terribly good with it, but her need was never as great as now. After an indeterminable amount of time began to pass, she began to feel a slight stinging in her eyes as she concentrated.

* * *

><p>Mebuki let out a tired, content sigh. It had been a difficult time, but she had successfully sown up Naruto's wounds and started him on a blood-bag. She was honestly confused was Naruto hadn't simply <em>died<em> from his wounds. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that the young sunny haired boy's wounds were slowly healing by themselves. She wondered what sudden emergency had called all of the other medic-nins and doctors away from the hospital. It had to be something very significant to leave Naruto in the state that he was in prior to her assistance. Mebuki turned and headed out of the room, wondering how exactly Naruto had injured himself so much while training.

* * *

><p>Hinata felt the stinging intensify until it was almost too much <em>pain<em>. She bit her lip to avoid crying out. Then, suddenly, it _stopped._ Hinata felt something shift inside her. And she _opened her eyes._ It was disorienting, to suddenly see in all directions. It was even more so to see _though_ objects. Hinata narrowed her eyes and concentrated on finding Naruto. As her vision slowly expanded, she saw Sakura's mother heading in their direction. Hinata concentrated on reeling back her vision and then retracting the chakra to her eyes to turn off her Byakugan, the "All Seeing White Eye". She managed to turn it off just before Mebuki entered the waiting area.

Sakura perked up from her depressed slump as her mother entered the waiting room. Her mother looked tired but content she realized. Did that mean Naruto was going to be okay?

Mebuki looked at her daughter, who was struggling not to blurt out questions about her friend's condition. She took pity on Sakura and answered her unasked question.

"Naruto is going to be fine. It was a bit of trouble at first, but he's fine now. He's just resting now." She explained, attempting to ease both Sakura's and Hinata's worries.

"Can we see him?" Sakura half-asked half-demanded.

"Of course dear. Follow me." Mebuki beckoned the two girls to follow her. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at room 317.

Mebuki entered the room, followed closely by Sakura and Hinata. Upon seeing Naruto's bandaged, unmoving form, both of the girls started to silently cry as they made their way over to the blonds' bedside; unconsciously moving to opposite sides of the hospital bed. Sakura brushed Naruto's hair back out of his face, as Hinata scanned Naruto for visible injuries. Both of the girls eyes met. They both found chairs and sat next to "their" side of Naruto's hospital bed. Mebuki smiled happily. It was good that Sakura had found friends that she was willing to stick by.

* * *

><p>It had been several hours since Sakura and Hinata had been waiting. During that time, the two had discussed plans on how to get even with Misuki-menba. They had discussed, discarded, and finalized several plans, in case one went awry. They then had discussed how Naruto had gotten his injuries, considering that Naruto wouldn't have hurt himself so critically if he was training. This had started a discussion about how the villagers disliked Naruto. As the last of the hours drew to a close, Sakura and Hinata had decided on waiting to ask Naruto what had happened, since the chance that Naruto hurting himself this badly while training was practically non-existent.<p>

The sounds of a conversation above him slowly roused Naruto from his heavy slumber. He could feel something wrapped tightly around his hands and torso. Whatever it was, Naruto was fairly confident that it couldn't keep him trapped. As Naruto continued to slowly awaken, he became aware of the soft bed that he was laying on. It was probably the softest thing he had ever laid on in his entire life!

Soon, Naruto was able to identify the two voices above him. It was Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan! Naruto focused on waking up, ignoring the twinges of soreness that emanated from his hands and abdomen. He slowly opened his eyes.

The room was white. It had a sterile smell. Everything was white walls and brushed steel. But then something infinitely more important than studying his surroundings intruded into Naruto's space. It was Sakura and Hinata! _"I wonder why they are here. Where ever here is. It wasn't that serious of an injury."_ Naruto wondered to himself silently. _"I wonder if I can get back to the ally. Those were some high quality Kunai. I can always use a few more."_

Suddenly Sakura and Hinata realized that Naruto was awake and immediately stopped refining their plans about dealing with Misuki-menba. They both looked over at the bed, and noticing Naruto's confused bright blue eyes, felt their own eyes filling with tears. _Naruto was alright!_

"Hi Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan!" Naruto exclaimed, putting his own confusion aside in favor of stopping his friends tears. He wasn't sure exactly _why_ they were sad, but he knew that he had to do all in his power to make them happy again!

Hinata broke first."N-Naruto-Kun!" Hinata sobbed into his chest, "I w-was so w-worried!" Naruto felt great and terrible pangs of guilt. It was all his fault that Hinata was crying!

Sakura broke next. "Don't ever scare me again like that baka!" She choked out amidst her now falling tears. "You were so pale and still!"

Naruto made a promise to himself in that instant. _He would never cause Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan to cry again! Even if it killed him!_ Naruto lay on the bed, overwhelmed with guilt and confusion. He waited for Hinata and Sakura to stop crying, for he knew no way of making them happy until they could tell him what he did wrong.

After what seemed like an eternity to Naruto, Sakura's and Hinata's tears petered out. Naruto, still wondering what he had done wrong, asked earnestly, "What did I do wrong? I didn't mean to make you cry!"

Sakura and Hinata froze. _What was Naruto talking about?_ Sakura slowly raised her head to look at Naruto. "You didn't do anything wrong Baka! We were just worried! That's all." Naruto tilted his head to the side as he contemplated Sakura's words. They didn't really answer his question, but as long as Sakura was feeling better, that's what was important.

"N-Naruto-Kun," Hinata's slightly trembling voice broke Naruto and Sakura out of the locked eye contact they had entered. "W-What h-happened to you? W-What c-caused you to get hurt?" Naruto shifted to look at Hinata.

"Hinata-Chan!," Naruto congratulated, "You didn't stutter too much just now!" Hinata's face immediately flushed red as she looked down. She began to poke pointer fingers together as started feeling a bit lightheaded. Naruto had complemented her!

Sakura frowned. She wasn't sure why, but when Naruto had complemented Hinata, a slightly funny feeling had developed in her stomach. She grunted to herself before demanding Naruto to answer the question. "Naruto! What happened to you? You couldn't have hurt yourself that badly in training!"

Naruto blinked. _"Why did they think he hurt himself training?" _He wondered silently. His face scrunched up in confusion as he tried to think of the last time he had seriously hurt himself while training. It was...maybe a year ago? "Well, I was trying to learn how to do the Bunshin Daibakuha last year. I may have exploded myself a bit..." Naruto confessed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in slight embarrassment.

Sakura blinked. She didn't know that. She opened her mouth to reprimand Naruto for being so reckless, but then closed it with a snap as she realized that Naruto wasn't talking about what had just happened. And if Naruto hadn't gotten hurt training...then what hurt him?

"Naruto." Sakura spoke, her mind racing, "If you didn't get hurt training today, then how did you get hurt?"

"Huh?" Naruto asked in confusion, "Oh!" Naruto realized what Sakura was talking about. "Eh, I just got cornered by three ninjas in an ally. I knocked one out before they used some binding jutsu and pinned me to the wall. They then stabbed me a few times before they ran off." Naruto dismissed in the same tone one would discuss the weather.

Hinata and Sakura froze for a moment before they began to tremble. But they were trembling for completely different reasons. Hinata was trembling at the horrifying reality that someone would _willing _hurt _her_ Naruto-Kun.

Sakura on the other hand, was trembling with a slowly increasing _rage._ Who had hurt Naruto? She would find them and beat them down! Hurt them so bad that they wouldn't ever _think_ about hurting him ever _again._

Naruto watched the proceedings with wide eyes. _"What did I say to make them upset again?"_ He thought with sinking feeling of growing guilt. "I'm sorry!" He burst out, "I don't know what I did to make you two sad, but I'm sorry!" He continued on desperately, "Just tell me how to fix whatever I did wrong!"

Sakura lowered her head and was silent for a few moments. She then looked up and locked eyes with Hinata. A silent message and understanding passed between them. Then Sakura spoke, her voice eerily calm, "It's all right Naruto. _You_ didn't do anything wrong." She then hesitated, before continuing, "But don't worry. We'll help you avoid getting caught by those ninjas again. This is my promise! Naruto-Kun."

* * *

><p>Iruka Umino hummed happily to himself as he prepared for the day. Today was graduation day for his class! Iruka thought of the changes that had happened over the last year. Sakura Haruno had changed overnight to a certain extent. She now had taken training very seriously and was in the top ten students of the class. Hinata Hyuga had changed even more. While she was a gentle girl most of the time, when she was in a fighting situation, she <em>changed.<em> Her attacks were precise jabs of disabling power. Her Byakugan allowed her to instantly find the pressure points of her opponent, allowing her to incapacitate her opponent with a few quick strikes. Hinata had also almost completely lost her stutter, no doubt due to Naruto's compliments.

Naruto had also changed to a certain extent. He had tamed his boundless energy to a certain extent, and channeled that energy into becoming a close-combat specialist. Most of the students would just surrender when faced with sparring Naruto now. In the last year Iruka had gotten to know Naruto and had found the exuberant child to be pleasant to talk to. He had slowly befriended the young blond, occasionally taking Naruto out for ramen. Iruka could safely say that he was looking forward to what Naruto could accomplish in the future. It had always puzzled him, however, how Naruto still got such terrible grades despite his best efforts.

Sadly not it was not all roses, as the saying goes. Sasuke Uchiha had grown angry and spiteful of Naruto's limited success. His superiority complex couldn't understand how such a dead-last like Naruto could invoke such fear in the academy students. Luckly, Sasuke had never sparred with Naruto. Iruka shuddered to think what would happen should Naruto defeat the arrogant Uchiha. It wouldn't be good.

Iruka shrugged to himself before stretching. He was one of the examiners for the Genin exams. Today was going to be a long day...

* * *

><p>Sakura awoke with a smile on her face. Today she was going to graduate with Naruto-Kun and Hinata-San! She hoped that they would be on the same team! They would be the best team ever! Sakura grimaced slightly after she finished that thought. Perhaps Naruto rubbed off on her more then she thought...<p>

Sakura shrugged. It wasn't like it was a terrible thing. She was fairly certain that Naruto was incapable of doing anything _terrible._ She headed off to start her morning routine with a bounce to her step. Once she finished, she headed downstairs to grab a quick breakfast before heading out.

Sakura walked towards the kitchen, the aroma of warm food enveloping her as she grew closer. When she finally reached the source of the mouth-watering scents, she spotted her mother, Mebuki, flipping over a omelet. She was humming as she quickly moved from cooking one food item to the next on the stove. As she flicked the omelet onto a piece of toast, she noticed Sakura.

"Hello dear! How did you sleep?" Mebuki inquired to Sakura.

"Good!" Sakura said as she sat at the table, "Now I need to eat quickly! I'm graduating today!"

Mebuki giggled at Sakura's exuberance as she set the food in front of her pink-haired daughter. As she watched Sakura eat, she was once again thankful for Naruto. He had convinced her daughter to eat more healthy food, pointing out that she couldn't woo Sasuke if she had fallen behind in training due to lack of energy. Mebuki hid a grin as she remembered when Sakura and Hinata had attempted to get Naruto to eat less ramen. They had all watched as Naruto ate a massive amount of ramen without suffering any issues, much to their consternation. Sakura had then demanded that Naruto join her for dinner at her house to "get proper healthy food." Mebuki's grin faded as she remembered the first time Naruto had joined them for dinner...

_Compared to the vague rumors that she had heard from around town, Naruto was completely different. He was polite, perhaps overly so, and certainly didn't try to destroy anything. It had quickly become obvious that Naruto had never eaten with anyone else in a formal setting. Thankfully, Kizashi had causally slowed his movements so that Naruto could copy them. _

_Naruto had thanked them both with a beautiful smile that made even the brightest lights look dim in comparison. After dinner, as Kizashi helped Sakura clean the dishes, Mebuki had the opportunity to talk to Naruto. It had started out innocently enough, but soon she found herself asking about Naruto's injuries that had landed him into the hospital four months prior. Her heart broke as Naruto casually explained what had happened. Naruto's accepting tone as he retold the event had caused Mebuki to suddenly pull the young boy into a comforting hug. However, Naruto had stiffened upon her contact, and she quickly pulled back. What Naruto had said next changed her view of him and the village. _

_"Wha-what was that?" Naruto seemed puzzled."It didn't hurt." He continued to ponder what strange action Mebuki-San had just done. "It felt...nice", Naruto decided. He was spared from further confusion as Sakura came back into the living room, and asked if Naruto wanted to get a little more training in before bed. Naruto had happily agreed and the two had headed towards the training ground. _

_As soon as the door slammed shut behind them, Mebuki had collapsed into her husband's arms, quietly sobbing. "H-he didn't know what a h-hug was!" Mebuki choked out. "He thought I was going to hurt him!" Kizashi rubbed her back comfortingly, letting her cry into his chest. There was no trace of his normal easy smile on his face. A grim expression slid onto his face as he considered the facts that he was given. And he didn't like the picture he was getting. Not one damn bit._

_Eventfully Mebuki's sobs had tapered off. Kizashi guided her to the couch as he sat beside her. His almost angry expression had taken her aback. As Kizashi starting to explain his suspicions, her expression slowly changed to outrage. How dare the village treat anyone, especially a child, like that!_

_Mebuki had vowed, right then and there, that Naruto would always have a home, should he want it, at their house. _

Sakura's fork scraping on the plate as she finished the last few bites brought Mebuki out of her remembrance. She handed Sakura a bag with her lunch. "Sakura dear, I also packed two breakfast egg sandwiches for Naruto-Chan. Make sure he gets them. I also packed a lunch bento for him. You normal bento is in there as well!" She instructed. She then added proudly, "I'm so proud of you! I could never ask for a better daughter!"

Sakura grabbed the bag and dashed off, calling over her shoulder, "Thanks for the breakfast mom! I'll make sure Naruto-Kun gets the food!"

* * *

><p>Hinata awoke with a sigh. It was graduation day. Hinata had mixed feelings about today. On the one hand, she was excited to graduate with Naruto-Kun and Sakura-San. But on the other, she was worried that she wasn't good enough to graduate. Her father had spoken to her yesterday and had told her that she, as his daughter and more importantly a Hyuga main branch member, she could not fail the test today; least she shame the clan. While her father was slightly impressed by her improvements over the last year, he still viewed her as weak and useless. It was this maelstrom of emotions that killed Hinata's appetite. She instead quickly completed her morning routine and then headed towards Naruto's apartment. Naruto was always there for her...<p>

* * *

><p>Mizuki awoke with his head in a fog. He had been up late last night going over exactly how graduation had to go. It was his responsibility to make sure the demon never passed the exam. The demon had shown enough worrying growth in fighting ability to make the council nervous. Mizuki smirked. The little shit wouldn't know what hit him! Until it was far too late that is. Mizuki let a victorious expression stretch across his face as he considered what he would have gained after today. The demon would be dead, he would be far away from this accursed place, and he would be a ninja of Otogakure!<p>

Mizuki's expression turned sullen as he remembered the events that had led him to come up with this plan. It had all started with the little fox getting medical attention. The bitch, Mebuki Haruno, had actually _healed_ the demon fox. They had sent a few ninja to her house to "explain" why you didn't heal the demon. But something had gone wrong. The ninja they had sent just vanished without a trace. So they sent a few more experienced shinobi. They too disappeared. It was at that point they simply stopped trying to "contact" the Haruno family. Some powerful shadowy figure was protecting them. Eventually they had found out that it wasn't the Hokage, Sarutobi. That had both relieved and scared them all. For while it was good that the Hiruzen didn't know, it meant that someone else was stalking in the shadows.

Mizuki shrugged. Once he was gone, his "allies" in this village could burn for all cared.

* * *

><p>Naruto awoke with a happy smile on his face. He was going to graduate with Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan! His first step in becoming the strongest ninja ever was nearly complete! Naruto hurried to complete his morning routine so he could meet Sakura and Hinata.<p>

The Kyubi chuckled as he watched his container hurry about. The demon fox thought about the massive amounts of changes that had happened to Naruto in the last three years. He had gained two friends, or at least both he and Naruto assumed that they were friends; given that they really weren't sure exactly _what_ a friend was. Yes, Kyubi decided, the Sakura-girl and the Hinata-girl were Naruto's friends. In addition, Naruto had been invited to the Sakura-girl's home to eat on multiple occasions. The healthy food had benefited his jailer immensely. His jailer now stood about average with all of the other children, instead of being massively shorter than them all. Naruto had also gain quite a bit of muscle for his age. Only traces of his baby fat still lingered after all the training he had done. All in all, the Kyubi considered the last three years the best years of his little container's life.

Just as Naruto was finishing up his instant ramen, which contrary to the name; wasn't instant, he heard a knock on his door. Naruto paused for the briefest of seconds before the specific knock pattern registered. It was Hinata-Chan!

Naruto threw open the door and happily greeted Hinata. "Hinata-Chan! Hello! I wasn't expecting to see you this early! Ready to graduate?"

Hinata sighed inaudibly and relaxed. She had missed this. Naruto's easy confidence and warmth. "Hello Naruto-Kun! I am ready now for the graduation exam." Naruto's answering grin gave her the strangest feeling in her stomach. Almost as if a bunch of butterflies started fluttering about inside. After a moments consideration, she realized that it wasn't a _bad_ sensation. It was, perhaps, the complete _opposite_ of bad.

After Naruto grabbed his jacket, the two perspective ninja headed towards the Academy.

They were about half way towards the Academy when they met up with Sakura. "Here Naruto! I brought some food for your breakfast! My mom made it!" Sakura said as she thrust the packed egg sandwiches into Naruto's hands.

"Thanks Sakura-Chan!" Naruto shot a massive smile at Sakura before he started munching on the delicious sandwich. Sakura temporally froze as a hint of red flushed on her face. That smile had looked really good on Naruto's face...

* * *

><p><strong>To my reviewers:<strong>

Poppy Grave Dreams: I'm glad you liked the chapter. The interesting developments are just getting started.

yang4200: I plan on continuing this story as long as there is interest in it.

Druto: Thanks! I do try to bring out a quality work for you guys to read.

Guest: There is a very high possibility that Naruto will end up with both Sakura and Hinata.

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: If you guys can come up with a few reasons why Naruto should be on a team with Sakura and Hinata, I will definitely put them all on a team.

turtle sage: I'm glad you want the pairing of Naruto/Sakura/Hinata. Let me know if you still want the pairing after this chapter.

Guest: It's not too much to hope for. You'll see the beginnings of the process of attraction from both Sakura and Hinata in this chapter.

kippusan: While I'm not honestly sure if you have read my story after you reviewed, I'll still explain my reasoning for changing the Shadow Clone Jutsu. The Shadow Clon Jutsu works the way it does in cannon to explain how Naruto gains the power increase he has to for the story. Without it, Naruto would be almost useless. He doesn't have many good teachers, and if you look at it logically, most of the people he is around don't help him at all. So the problem I ran into when I was planning this fic out was that Naruto, when he is even only mildly competent or has people around him who care about him as a person, he became quickly so overpowered that it made all of the other characters seem absurdly weak in comparison. While Naruto will become very powerful, it takes all of the tension out of a fight if all of the enemies Naruto faces are merely speed bumps. That said, there is a reason why the Shadow Clone Jutsu is awesome in this AU.

* * *

><p><strong>So how was it? Throw a review over and let me know!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: The Darkness of Truth

**You guys are awesome! And apparently practically everyone wants Naruto to be on Team 8 with Hinata and Sakura. That being said, someone made a good point about the interesting conflicts that could occur from Naruto being in Team 7. So in the end, Naruto is on Team 8. However, Team 7 is still going to be a very important part of the story. You can read my meta/out of story reasons behind this decision at the bottom. **

**New question for you guys: Do you want to see Team 8's first mission out of the village, or do you want to go straight into the Wave Arc? Also, do you guys prefer shorter chapters that are published sooner or longer chapters that are published less frequently? Drop a review or a PM and let me know! **

**Since so many of you reviewed, I'm keeping that section at the bottom.**

**Character/AU Changes: I couldn't find information on if Kiba's or Shino's parent/parents were leaders of their clans. And as such, I am marking the fact that they are clan heirs as AU.**

**Mach Farcon does not own Naruto.**

**And without any more delay, here's Chapter 4: The Darkness of Truth **

* * *

><p>Naruto grinned happily as he chatted with Sakura and Hinata as they neared the Academy. Today was going to be the best day ever! He was going to graduate with Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan! And they were going to be on a team together then! It was going to be great!<p>

Hinata was quiet as Naruto talked. She watched Naruto happily gesture to them as he explained his latest training session. The idea that had slowly been building inside her grew. Hinata made her decision. "Sakura-San, may I talk to you privately for a moment?" Hinata requested seriously during a lull in conversation.

Sakura blinked and looked over at Hinata. Hinata had a serious look on her face. "Sure." Sakura answered confused. "When do you want to talk?"

"Before the Academy today." Hinata answered, hoping that Naruto would get the hint. She could ever bring herself to tell Naruto to leave them, so Naruto would need to leave them to talk in private out of his own volition.

Sakura turned to Naruto, who was looking at them both in slight confusion, and ordered him "Naruto! We'll meet you at the Academy! Hinata and I have to talk about something alone!"

"Oh. Ok." Naruto's shoulders slumped ever so slightly for the briefest of seconds. And then just as quickly, a wide smile slid across his face. "Ok! I'll meet you at the Academy!" He said loudly before rushing off towards the Academy.

Both girls watched Naruto head off. As soon as he disappeared from their sight, Sakura turned to Hinata and angrily demanded, "What do you want? We made Naruto-Kun sad!"

"W-well, " Hinata began quietly, fighting back the tears at the thought of making Naruto sad, "You know how Naruto doesn't really have anyone but us as friends?" Seeing Sakura's nod, Hinata grew more and more passionate as she continued, "We need to become friends ourselves. For Naruto-Kun! So he doesn't have to ever choose between us as friends!"

Sakura dropped into deep thought. While Hinata-San had made several good points, there was something about it that almost made Sakura protest. Sakura's eyes widened as she realized what the issue was; she wanted Naruto-Kun all to herself! Sakura opened her mouth to refuse Hinata's offer of friendship when Hinata's words replayed in her mind.

_"...So he doesn't have to ever choose between us..."_

Sakura's mouth closed with a snap. That was the point wasn't it? How could she call herself Naruto's best friend if she wouldn't ever think of what he wanted? And Sakura _knew_ what Naruto wanted. He just wanted his friends to get along. Sakura set her jaw. She turned to Hinata.

"I'll be you friend. For Naruto-Kun." Sakura paused, considering, "And you're a pretty good person anyway. I would have eventually became your friend anyway." She added grudgingly.

Hinata relaxed in visible relief. "Ok! Let's go find Naruto and cheer him back up! Right Sakura-Chan?"

Sakura nodded firmly, "Right! Let's go Hinata-Chan!"

* * *

><p>Naruto skidded to a stop outside of the Academy. The run had served to clear his head to a certain extent, and gave him the insight that Sakura and Hinata had simple wanted to talk about something without him. They would catch up to him later. Naruto took a step forward before freezing mid-step. What if they wanted him to wait for them outside of the Academy? Naruto placed his foot back down and moved over to the gate of the Academy. He would wait for his best friends here.<p>

About ten minutes later, his ears perked up as he caught the sounds of Sakura-Chan talking to Hinata-Chan. He pushed off the wall and jogged eagerly towards the pair. As he got closer, the two girls visibly brightened as they spied him coming toward them.

"Sakura-Chan! Hinata-Chan!" Naruto called, "Are you all done with your talk?"

"Yes! Hinata-Chan and I are done with our talk!" Sakura called back. She waited for Naruto to join their group before apologizing guiltily. "I'm sorry for sending you away Naruto-Kun! I didn't mean to make you sad!"

"It's all right." Naruto waved away Sakura's apology, "I realized that sometimes you have to talk about something that I'm not supposed to hear. " He then asked shyly "So It's Hinata-Chan then? Does that mean you and Hinata-Chan are friends?" He asked hopefully.

Any doubts in Sakura's or Hinata's mind over their new friendship was wiped away by Naruto's hopeful expression. It was Hinata that answered, "Yes Naruto-Kun. Sakura-Chan and I are friends now." _"So now You'll never have to choose between us ever again." _She added mentally.

Naruto's blindingly happy smile that threatened to rival the sun in warmth filled the girls with a sense of accomplishment. "Now," Naruto began with exuberance, "Let's go kick this exams ass!"

"Hell yea!" Sakura shouted.

"Let's do it!" Hinata said loudly, loudly compared to her normal self at any rate.

And with a confident step the three walked into the Academy.

* * *

><p>The classroom was ordered chaos. All of the students were talking amongst themselves, realizing that this could be the last time they would see each other. There was several shouting girls surrounding Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura recognized her former friend Ino as one of the ones that was sitting closest to Sasuke. Surprisingly, Sakura realized, she didn't feel the need to try to sit close to Sasuke-Kun. Sakura shrugged off the strange feeling and headed to the seat next to Naruto, joining his and Hinata's speculations on what the test ahead was comprised of.<p>

After another few minutes, Iruka entered the classroom along with Mizuki. Iruka shouted for quiet but was promptly ignored by the class. He waited for another minute before taking a deep breath. Beside him, Mizuki plugged his ears.

"ALL RIGHT! SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" Iruka's head grew to a massive size as he yelled, "IT'S TIME TO START CLASS!"

The class slowly quieted down as Mizuki removed his fingers from his ears. "Now," Iruka continued with a normal tone, "Here's how we are going to do the test today: First, we are going to take a written exam. After that, we are going to be testing your kunai and shuriken throwing skills. Next, we will be pitting each of you against each other in graded sparring matches. Once those are completed, we will be testing your skill with the Clone Technique, the Body Replacement Technique, and the Transformation Technique." Iruka indicated Mizuki beside him, "Mizuki-Sensei will be helping me administer these exams."

And with those words, the Konoha Genin exams started. After the written test had been completed, the class headed out to the grounds behind the academy. Iruka started the students off alphabetically. As he grew closer to Sakura's name, she felt herself growing nervous. Naruto put his hand on her shoulder as he whispered, "You got this Sakura-Chan!" Bolstered by Naruto's words, Sakura stepped forward as Iruka called, "Haruno, Sakura."

Sakura stepped forward to the throwing line. She took two deep breathes. She clutched the provided kunai in her hand. Her hand snapped forward repeatedly as she threw the kunai towards the target.

"7 out of 10." Iruka counted, "Not bad!" He congratulated. "Keep it up for the shuriken portion! " Sakura grinned as she heard Naruto shout out a congratulation on her score. "You bet!" Sakura quickly took the offered shurikens and stepped towards the throwing line again. She sent the shurikens buzzing down the range towards the target.

"A solid 7 out of 10!" Iruka congratulated Sakura before heading out to retrieve the thrown weapons. A happy Sakura was welcomed back into _her_ group by Naruto and Hinata.

"Hyuga, Hinata."

Hinata toed the throwing line after accepting the offered kunai. Naruto's unending confidence had rubbed off on her, and her hand moved forward gracefully as she threw the kunai before she lost her gained confidence. The kunai sped down the range towards the target on by one.

"7 out of 10! Well done!" Iruka congratulated, knowing Hinata's confidence issues. Hinata felt a small confident smile flow onto her face as she heard Naruto yell out encouragements as she took the shuriken. She looked almost _graceful_ as she sent the shuriken buzzing towards the targets.

"7 out of 10! Good job Hinata-San!" Iruka exclaimed, proud of the immense strides his student had made in the last three years. Hinata joined _her_ group amidst their congratulations.

"You guys did really good!" Naruto exclaimed, happy at his friends success.

Sakura grinned before teasing, "Well, Naruto-Kun, make sure you don't do something stupid like drop the kunai." The three attempted to keep straight faces as they thought of the nigh-impossible chance that Naruto would screw up a physical test. The three soon broke down into stifled giggles.

"Uchiha, Sasuke."

The black haired boy strutted to the throwing line, grabbing the kunai as he went. He threw several kunai at one time, hitting the target each time.

"Nine-point-seven-five out of ten!" Mizuki exclaimed.

Sasuke snorted arrogantly, "Of course I scored that high. I am an Uchiha after all, unlike these other commoners." He swiped the shuriken from Mizuki and quickly threw them, once again unleashing several at a time.

"Nine-point-five out of ten!" Mizuki congratulated, successfully hiding his annoyance at the black-haired boy's words. Sasuke threw a superior smirk in Naruto's direction before heading to the back of the gathered students to brood.

"Uzumaki, Naruto."

"Good luck Naruto-Kun!" Hinata whispered encouragingly.

"Yeah! Good luck Naruto-Kun!" Sakura added with a confident nod.

Naruto grinned and strode confidently up to the throwing line, snagging the kunai as he went. As soon as his foot touched the line, his hands _blurred_. The ten kunai rocketed down range, slamming into the target.

"Ten out of ten!" Iruka exclaimed, surprised. He knew Naruto was good, but he didn't know that Naruto was _this good_. Naruto chuckled warmly as he heard Sakura shout congratulations and Hinata's softly spoken words of encouragement. He once again snagged the shuriken. Before he even reached the throwing line, his hands _blurred_ once again. The sharp _thuds_ of the shurikens hitting the target reached their ears a moment later.

"Ten out of ten!" Iruka announced, amidst the whispers of the class. Naruto was welcomed back to _his_ group with words of congratulations.

Sasuke scowled fiercely. How dare the lowly clan-less looser do better than him! He was an Uchiha! Suddenly a idea began to form in Sasuke's mind. He knew how he would get back at the Uzumaki...

* * *

><p>Soon the throwing portion finished, and it was time for the sparing matches. "All right!" Iruka began, "It's time for the sparing match. I'm going to lay down a few ground rules. First, no killing blows. Second, it's taijutsu only. So no non-hand-to-hand-combat techniques. This also means that no weapons are allowed." He took a breath before continuing, "To win the match you must either knock your opponent out of the ring, or you force them to submit. You may challenge someone, but you do not have to." As soon as Iruka finished explaining the rules, Sasuke's voice rang out.<p>

"I will fight the Uzumaki."

A hush fell on the class. This was more than just a simple challenge. Sasuke was the top student. Naruto was the student with the worst grades. But no one could deny the blonde's effectiveness in combat. Sakura froze. She remembered what Ino had said to her just over six months ago...

_Sakura entered the classroom to see Sasuke lean back with a satisfied smirk on his face. In contrast, Naruto had a slightly depressed air about him. Three seconds later, the depressed air disappeared as he hid his feelings deep within. Sakura was terribly conflicted. She felt angry that someone had made fun of Naruto-Kun, but that someone was Sasuke-Kun. She was so deep in her confused thoughts that she didn't even notice Ino walking up to her until the blonde girl spoke. _

_"You're going to have to choose." Ino pointed out. _

_"Huh?" Sakura blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"_

_Ino snorted. "For as big as your forehead is, you don't get it do you?" Ino's blue eyes pierced Sakura's confused green eyes. "You're going to have to choose between Sasuke-Kun and Naruto-Baka. They are completely different from each other."_

"I accept." Naruto's confident voice rang out, as he strode towards the marked off sparing ring. Sasuke quickly followed, as his fan girls cheered. After they both entered the ring, they made their way to the opposite sides of the ring.

Iruka felt like he was watching a building on fire, helpless to stop the carnage about to happen, but unable to look away. He swallowed, wetting his suddenly dry throat before starting the match. "All right! Keep it clean you two! Are both fighters ready?" When both boys gave their assent, he continued, "Ready? Hajime!"

Neither boy moved. "Do you hear that dobe?" Sasuke sneered, "Do you hear them cheering my name? Calling for me to beat you _down_?" Sasuke then moved for the verbal kill, "And who is cheering for you? Just two pathetic losers that are pretending to kunoichi..." Any further taunts that Sasuke had planned were shoved back down his throat as a heavy oppressive presence cloaked the ring. It was as if the very _air itself_ suddenly gained twenty pounds and was now pressing down on the last Uchiha.

"_What did you say?"_ Naruto asked, his voice a deadly calm, his eyes betraying his furious anger. _"Did you just call Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan __**weak**__"?_ Sasuke paled, but stood his ground, if only by the barest margins.

"Y-Yes. I said that they are weak." He panted, attempting to steel himself against the oppressive air.

Suddenly Naruto shot forward, his fist burying itself into Sasuke's stomach! Sasuke wheezed out a choked grasp; as all of the air in his lungs was abruptly forced out. He didn't have time to react as Naruto reached with his other hand and grabbed Sasuke's shirt, bodily tossing the shocked Uchiha into the _center_ of the ring. Sasuke barely dodged Naruto's leg, the force behind the attack raising a cloud of dust that obscured the two fighters. The dirt irritated Sasuke's eyes as he wildly looked for Naruto. A savage jab to his jaw sent him stumbling back, fighting to keep his balance. He swung wildly, hoping to connect with something.

Naruto blocked Sasuke's swing, using his superior strength to knock the fist out of the way. He slid into a right punch, once again burying his fist in Sasuke's stomach! Unlike before however, Naruto grabbed Sasuke's descending head, as the Uchiha bent over, and brought it to meet his rising knee. Sasuke's head snapped back. He stumbled back, and out of the dust cloud. He feel to one knee as his eyes began burning.

"Go Naruto-Kun!" Sakura's voice snapped Naruto out of his angry, focused instincts. He looked over at the gathered crowd, and sure enough, Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan were cheering for him. He let himself toss a grin in their direction before Sasuke's movements drew him back to the fight.

Sasuke staggered to his feet. Despite he had just been hit several times, he felt like he could go another ten rounds. The burning in his eyes had decreased to a mild irritation. Oddly enough, the world seemed to be moving slower. Sasuke flexed his hands. He was an Uchiha! He would win this!

Naruto surged towards his opponent. As he got closer, he realized that Sasuke's eyes had _changed._ Sasuke's iris had changed to a bright red color, and a single black tomoe rotated the pupil slowly. And when Naruto swung, Sasuke _dodged._

Both of the fighters leapt back from each other briefly before charging each other. A quick exchange of fists and kicks occurred before they broke apart again. Naruto's dark blue eyes met Sasuke's bright red ones. Naruto smirked. Then he _blurred._

Sasuke was unprepared as Naruto seemed to appear in front of him, his right hand drawn back. A split second later, Naruto's palm slammed into the Uchiha's chest, catapulting him back a _two dozen_ feet. Sasuke rolled to his feet. As he prepared to take a step forward, the stunned silence brought him up short. His eyes were drawn to the line four feet _in front_ of him. _"I-I lost?"_ Sasuke thought stunned. As he watched Naruto be declared the winner of the match by a stunned Iruka, _hate_ began to grow and fester in Sasuke's soul towards Naruto. _"I'll take you down you...you...__**worthless**__, clan-less, stupid, talentless loser!" _Sasuke vowed to himself, glaring hatefully at the bright eyed blonde.

Sakura felt as if a unknown burden lift from her shoulders as Naruto walked towards her and Hinata. She understood now. _"Well, Ino-pig, I made my choice. And I don't regret it for a second! My Naruto-Kun didn't need to try to demoralize his opponent to win!"_ She thought, satisfied with her _choice_.

Hinata felt relief as Naruto walked towards them. While she had never doubted that Naruto would win, Sasuke awakening the Sharingan, the fabled Copy Wheel Eye, had given her great concern. But Naruto had easily won, and she felt relief. The small vicious portion of her was glad that the Uchiha had lost badly. Perhaps now he would leave Naruto-Kun alone...

The rest of the matches seemed dull in comparison to the first exciting match; much to the disappointment of the gathered students. It is worthy for note, however, that both Hinata and Sakura were able to easily force a submit from their opponents. The other potentially interesting matches of note were the separate matches of Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. Kiba had simply beat down his opponent in an all-out slug-fest, while Shino had used his clan's affinity for bugs to simply drain his opponent of chakra until they submitted. The rest of the mostly unremarkable matches ended quickly. Soon, it was time to head back inside the classroom for the final test.

After the students filed back into the classroom, Iruka explained the next section in more detail. He and Mizuki would be splitting the students into two separate groups. Each student would be called by one of the two teachers into a examination room to be tested alone. Mizuki would be starting at the bottom of the list while Iruka would be starting at the top. As time went on, Hinata and Sakura made a terrible discovery: If their math was right, then Naruto would be examined by Mizuki-Dobe! Both Sakura and Hinata knew that Mizuki-Menba wouldn't grade Naruto fairly. That said, he couldn't just fail Naruto because he didn't like him right?

A sudden distressing thought blazed into Hinata's head and she turned to Sakura with barely disguised alarm. "Sakura-Chan!" Hinata hissed quietly, "What were the three jutsus that we are being tested on?"

Sakura turned to Hinata with a confused look, before whispering, "The Body Replacement Jutsu, The Transformation Jutsu, and the Clo...oh damn!" Sakura paled as she realized what the issue was. Naruto was simply incapable of performing the Clone Jutsu. No matter how much or how little he poured into the technique, the clones looked sickly and weak at best. At the worst, his clones simply fell over and "died" right then and there. Sakura turned to warn Naruto of the extremely impending issue, when Mizuki's voice startled her.

"Uzumaki, Naruto." Mizuki silently congradulated himself on not letting his hate for the demon fox bleed into his voice when he called it's _human_ name. As the demon happily walked into the exam room, Mizuki barely hid the glee on his face when the thought of its depressed face when it failed.

Hinata and Sakura were almost panicking when Naruto jogged into the exam room before they could warn him. They both sent prayers up in hopes that Naruto would become a genin today. They were so intent on Naruto's situation that they had to have their names called twice by Iruka. As they stood in line to go next, they worried, what was happening in Mizuki's examination room?

* * *

><p>Naruto grinned to himself as he canceled the transformation jutsu. He had always wondered why people always had issues with that technique. All you had to do was charge your chakra and concentrate on who you wanted to become...<p>

Naruto's happy thoughts were abruptly shattered by Mizuki-Sensei's next words. "Now perform the Bunshin no Jutsu. " Naruto carefully performed each hands sign, hoping against hope that the clone technique would work this time. As he channeled his chakra to complete the technique, he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see how badly he had screwed up _again._

After a minute, he carefully peeked his left eye open. What he saw filled him with despair. He was surrounded by _ten_ corpses of his clones. Despite the fact that the clone jutsu only created illusionary copies, he had somehow created dead illusionary copies of himself. Naruto slowly hung his head and started walking to the door. Mizuki's compassionate voice stopped him.

"I'm sorry Naruto. I know how much you wanted to pass. I know how much graduating means to you. But I think I can still help you!" Mizuki's tone was nothing but pure sincerity. "There's a _second_ secret test to become genin. I can tell you about that if you still want to graduate with your friends!"

_Hope_ can be a powerful drug, dulling common sense and caution.

* * *

><p>Sakura and Hinata had finished their tests quickly. While they had not gotten a perfect score, they had easily passed the final exam to become genin. However, as more and more time passed they grew ever more worried as they watched the closed door Naruto had disappeared into to take his test. Suddenly the door opened.<p>

Mizuki stepped out, his expression properly schooled in an expression of sadness. He walked to the teachers desk and announced, being careful to keep the utter _satisfaction_ out of his tone, "I regret to inform you all that Naruto Uzumaki had failed the Ninjutsu portion of the test. He utterly failed the test. He has gone home in shame."

The mocking laughter of the class warmed Mizuki's heart. He was so distracted by maintaining his false expression of sadness, while simultaneously enjoying the class' laughter at Naruto's failure, that he failed to notice the veins surrounding Hinata's eyes bulge out as she activated her Byakugan in anger. Nor did he notice Sakura shaking with barely suppressed rage.

Hinata trembled with barely suppressed emotion. There was several strong emotions warring within her, so she couldn't pinpoint what emotion she was feeling the strongest about. As anger was slowly winning, her eyes suddenly caught sight of a note within Mizuki's pocket. All anger left her. The note was simply addressed "To Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan" in Naruto's messy scrawl. Hinata elbowed Sakura and leaned close to whisper in her ear.

Hinata's whisper broke though Sakura's mental angry rants. "Sakura-Chan! There's a note to us from Naruto-Kun in Mizuki-Menba's pocket!" Sakura stopped shaking. She glanced at Hinata. All it took was one glance for them to form the basics of a plan. The plan was simple. Follow Mizuki-Dobe and take Naruto's letter. It was rightfully theirs after all...

* * *

><p>Mizuki chucked to himself as he made his way to the forest. His plan was brilliant! He had directed the demon to steal the Scroll of Seals from the Hokage's office. He hadn't expected the little fox to actually succeed, but as the alarms wailed in the village, it was apparent to that the demon had succeed somehow. Mizuki allowed himself a malicious laugh. Now it was time to find the demon fox and...relive it of its burden...<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto breathed out a huff of exhaustion. It was tough learning new techniques! He grinned. He had done it! He had learned the Shadow Clone Technique! There had been some kind of warning on the technique, but he was feeling fine. Now to wait for a teacher so he could graduate and be on a team with Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan!<p>

* * *

><p>Iruka hurried towards the forest. He had to find Naruto before the ANBU found him! He didn't understand why Naruto would do such a thing as steal the Scroll of Sealing! What was Naruto thinking?<p>

He pushed more chakra into his legs and quickly became a blur to the untrained eye. After a few moments of sprinting and jumping, he reached the forest. As he looked over the vast extent of the forest laid out before him, he felt his heart sink. How could he find Naruto in all of this mess?

Iruka heaved out a heavy sigh before straightening. _"Well, it looks like I'll just have to search the entire thing then!" _Iruka thought with a determined nod. _"I can't let one of my students down!"_ The thought echoed in his mind as he pushed _even more_ chakra into his legs to increase his speed.

* * *

><p>Naruto was startled from his studying of the next technique by Iruka's angered shout. "Naruto! There you are!" Inruka shouted as he landed in the small clearing Naruto had taken refuge in. As Iruka opened his mouth to explain to Naruto how badly had had messed up, Naruto excitedly informed Iruka that he had passed the secondary test.<p>

"I did it Iruka-Sensi! I passed the test!" Naruto exclaimed with obvious pride. "I learned the technique just like the secret secondary genin test required!" Naruto grinned, proud that he could now focus on his next goal, getting on the same team as Hinata-Chan and Sakura-Chan!

"Wha-what?" Iruka stammered, not understanding what Naruto meant, "What are you talking about? What test?"

Naruto tilted his head to the side in complete confusion. "You know Iruka-Sensi! The secret genin test that requires you to steal the big scroll from the Hokage's office and learn a technique before you are caught!"

Iruka was stunned. Why did Naruto think this was some kind of test? He then went cold as he heard Mizuki's voice. "Very good Naruto! Now just pass over the Scroll of Sealing so you can get your headband!"

Suddenly, like the final piece to a puzzle, it all fell into place for Iruka. Mizuki was one of the people that hated Naruto. And he must have failed Naruto on purpose to get him desperate enough to steal the scroll. Seeing Naruto bend down to grab the scroll, Iruka shouted desperately to Naruto, "Naruto! Don't give the scroll to Mizuki! He just wants the scroll! There _isn't_ a secret Genin test!"

Naruto stopped, confused. He just didn't understand! Why would Mizuki-Sensei give him a fake test? Mizkui's next words to Iruka shocked him down to his very core.

"Why should he believe you Iruka? After all, you hate him too! I mean, _he_ is what killed your parents after all!" He then turned to look at the shocked blonde. "Don't you want to know _why_ everyone hates you?"

Iruka eyes widened as he heard Mizuki's words, he quickly begged Mizuki, "No! Don't tell him! It's forbidden by the Hokage!" Mizuki's mocking laughter was his answer to Iruka's plea.

"Guess what?" Mizuki began, satisfaction practically oozing off each word, "The Kyubi that attacked twelve years ago didn't die! Instead, it was sealed! And you know what it was sealed into?" He paused, savoring the moment. "The shape of a baby! You are the Kyubi! You're the murderous demon fox!"

Naruto froze, his mind repeating Mizuki's words over and over. He really was a demon then? He killed all those people didn't he?

Mizuki's seeing how effective his words were, hefted a massive shuriken for a moment, and threw it towards the stunned Naruto! Iruka, spotting the danger, tackled his sunny-haired student out of the lethal projectile's path. The impact knocked Naruto out of his shocked stupor.

"I-I-I'm the K-K-Kyubi?" Naruto's small, endlessly sad voice asked. Iruka's heart wrenched. He didn't hear any of the malicious terrible power from Naruto. All he heard was a small boy who now thought he knew why he was hated. And it was heart breaking. He watched as Naruto slowly stood up.

Naruto's heart was heavy, so heavy. He was a _monster._ A _demon_. He was a _killer._ As Mizuki readied another giant shuriken, he didn't move. It was better this way. Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan didn't deserve to be associated with a _demon._ Mizuki hurled the shuriken.

The sound of the shuriken piecing flesh sounded out in the clearing. Naruto's eyes flew open. Why didn't it hurt? And what he saw changed how he viewed life forever. Iruka stood facing him with his arms outstretched. Naruto saw a pained grimace cross his face, before it smoothed out into a smile. Iruka let a gentle smile enter his face as he looked down at his student. "Naruto," Iruka began, needing to assure his terribly confused and hurt student, "You aren't the Kyubi. You're a jinchuriki. Not the Kyubi. Just its jailor." He paused for a moment, letting the _truth_ sink into Naruto's desperate ears. "Now go! Mizuki is a traitor to the village and can't get the Scroll of Sealing!" Iruka, seeing Naruto's hesitation, urged him again, "Go! I'll be fine!" Naruto sprinted off.

"I'm surprised." Mizuki commented, "I would have thought that you hated the demon too."

"I do." Iruka replied, as he carefully pulled the massive shuriken out of his back, "But Naruto isn't the demon fox." Iruka let a proud smile cross his face as he continued, "Naruto is a hero. And I look forward to seeing him grow into the powerful ninja that I know he can be!"

Mizuki scowled. This wasn't going to plan! "Well then, " He snarled, "I guess I'll just have to _kill_ you and track down the demon myself!" He launched himself at the severely hurt Academy teacher as he snarled, "If you like the demon so much, you can _die_ for it!"

Iruka barely dodged Mizuki's charge. But the bloodloss slowed him too much to respond to Mizuki's follow-up kick; the kick throwing Iruka back against a tree fifteen feet away! Iruka wasn't able to hold in his cry of pain as his lacerated back slammed into the unforgiving tree trunk. He looked up with blurry vision to see Mizuki ready another giant shuriken. Iruka closed his eyes. _"I'm sorry Tsubaki-Chan. Mizuki isn't the man either of us thought he was. I wish I could go back and try harder to win your hand! May you find peace, Tsubaki-Chan."_

The sound of metal on metal brought him out of his thoughts. There was no pain! Iruka's eyes shot open to behold the most amazing sight. Naruto stood in front of _him!_ Naruto's arm was outstretched, clutching a kunai, having just deflected the shuriken away from _his_ Sensei. Dark blue eyes glared at Mizuki.

"You know, " Naruto's voice was a dark, deadly calm,_ "_I should thank you, Mizuki." He paused, letting his words sink in, before continuing, "Without you, I would be still wondering _why_ they all hated me. Know I know." His eyes and tone hardened. "But you tried to kill one of my friends. You tried to kill someone precious to me!" The crushing presence of Naruto's killing intent crashed down on Mizuki. "And I won't _allow _that!"

Mizuki managed to get out a forced laugh, "And what are you going to do exactly? I'm a Chunin! And you're nothing but a failure!" Naruto's chuckle turned his veins to ice.

"You're right. But that's just one _me_. What if there was two. Five? Ten? _One-hundred?_" Naruto brought his hands up into a cross symbol. "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Naruto's voice rang out like a death knell.

For a single moment, nothing changed. Then, _everything_ changed. The trees and ground surrounding the clearing was covered in white smoke. When the smoke faded a moment later, it was awe-inspiring. Clones of Naruto _covered_ every inch of the surrounding area, and they all wore the same deadly calm expression. Naruto simply pointed at Mizuki. The army charged.

Mizuki blocked the first attack out of pure reflex, despite knowing that the clone technique was nothing more than an illusion. Shock flooded his body when he _felt_ the impact of the clone's fist on his arm. These weren't illusions! They were solid clones! Mizuki steeled himself. Even if there was more of him, it didn't change the fact that the demon was talentless! Mizuki counter attacked, his fist slamming into the clone's stomach. After receiving the hit, it burst into smoke. Mizuki felt confidence build in him. All it took was one blow to take the clone out! He could do this!

Iruka watched the battle with undisguised amazement. He knew that Naruto was good, but he didn't think Naruto was capable of this! He wondered how much the chakra Naruto had, considering high-ranking _Jonin_ had trouble making more than _ten_ shadow clones. His attention was drawn to, what he assumed was, the original Naruto. Naruto was simply watching Mizuki as he fought his clones. Naruto suddenly snapped out a command. "Ten!"

Mizuki swung a fist at another of the blasted clones when it started glowing ominously. His eyes widened as the clone _exploded_! The explosion tore apart the remaining clones, and devastated the area; turning it into a crater of ash and smoke.

Mizuki panted, that had been a close call! Had it not been for his split-second decision to swap places with a log, he would have been caught in that explosion and been severely injured, if not killed outright! A sudden blow knocked him back into the original clearing.

As Mizuki tumbled to his feet, he wildly looked around for his attacker. The _demon_ emerged from the forest, a dark smirk on his face. "You fell right for my trap. You never wondered why there was a log so conveniently close did you?" Naruto questioned, his dark amusement slowly fading. Killing intent almost crushed Mizuki into the ground. Naruto's eyes darkened.

"You're not going to hurt anyone ever again!" Naruto's voice slowly grew deeper as he starting stalking in Mizuki's direction. "If I must become a **demon**_;_**If I must become a **_**monster; If I must become a killer, I gladly accept that price to protect all of my precious people!**_" Naruto _blurred_.

Mizuki snapped a kick towards Naruto. Naruto slid to the side of the kick, and his right palm smashed into the leg's knee, snapping it with a _crack!_ Naruto's left fist then slammed into Mizuki's ribs, cracking them with a solid blow. Mizuki fell to his good knee.

Naruto stepped behind Mizuki, his blood thundering in his ears. Even though the adrenaline was making clear thoughts difficult, he _knew_ that Mizuki wouldn't stop until he hurt Iruka-Sensei! And what if he decided to hurt Sakura-Chan or Hinata-Chan? _**Never.**_Naruto vowed. _**Not while I still breathe!**_ Naruto gripped Mizuki's head. And with a savage jerk, _twisted._

The _crack_ of Mizuki's neck snapping echoed though the forest like a gunshot. The thud of Mizuki's lifeless body hitting the ground seemed to go on forever.

Iruka stared at the clearing ahead of him. Had that just happened? Had Naruto, innocent, naive _Naruto_ just killed his former teacher? Iruka blinked several times. The scene in front of him never changed. So it was true then. One of his best students had just taken their first kill. Iruka hesitantly called out to his student. "N-Naruto?"

Naruto snapped his head to look over in Iruka's direction with a fluid grace that was strongly reminiscent some great predator. Iruka was taken aback by the dark expression on Naruto's face. Iruka realized where he had seen such expressions before. He had seen them on elite Jonin who enjoyed killing a little too much. Iruka prayed with all his heart that Naruto hadn't succumbed to that darker part of himself. Iruka swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"Naruto," Iruka began gently, not wanting to surprise the boy, "It's all right. Mizuki isn't going to hurt anyone anymore. You don't have to fight anymore." Seeing Naruto's normal sky-blue eye color start to bleed back into Naruto's eyes, Iruka continued, "It's all right. I'm fine. I'm not going to die. You're fine. You don't need to fight." Iruka heaved a heavy sigh as he saw Naruto _blink_ and then classic Naruto was back.

Now that the excitement had passed, Iruka wondered how he could help his student. Naruto had failed the Genin test. How could Naruto be with his friends now? Suddenly, with a flash of insight, Iruka knew what to do.

"Naruto come over here." Iruka requested. Naruto quickly ran over to Iruka, his eyes checking over Iruka to make sure that he was fine. Iruka's voice sharpened, his tone becoming professional as he continued, "As the de facto-leader of this mission to stop a traitor of the village of Konoha, I bestow upon Naruto Uzumaki the title of Genin as a battle-field promotion!"

"R-Really?" Naruto shyly asked, feeling slightly hollow from the emotional roller-coaster that he had just been on.

"Yes." Iruka made no effort to hide the proud smile on his face as he congratulated Naruto. "I always knew you would become Genin! I'm proud of you! I look forward to seeing what you do in the future!"

Iruka and Naruto's happy moment was abruptly interrupted by the Hokage's words. "Indeed. I am quite proud of you Naruto!" Hiruzen paused, letting his words sink in before continuing, "But am curious of how one of _my_ ninja ended up dead." His voice, although spoken in a questioning tone, did not allow for any refusals.

"Well," Iruka began carefully, making sure to not include Naruto's dark words or his dark demeanor, "It all started when I reached the clearing in the forest..."

* * *

><p>When Iruka finished his recounting, he glanced over at Naruto. Naruto <em>seemed<em> to be dealing with his first kill, but Iruka knew that it could easily be just a mask, hiding the true feelings frothing inside. His attention was drawn back to the Hokage as he spoke.

"Well, now I understand. It is tragic that a fine ninja such as Mizuki has lost his way." Hiruzen sighed, looking for a moment as old as his age, then the Hokage straightened and continued. "But he failed in his mission to harm _our_ village. And for that, young Naruto, you have my thanks."

Naruto nodded, before speaking clearly, his voice steady and calm, "Thank-you Hokage-Dono." Hiruzen seemed to be somehow disappointed by Naruto's _professional_ answer.

"Genin Uzumaki, I have new orders for you." The Hokage spoke, "You are to ensure Iruka-San makes it to the hospital to be checked out. You will then report tomorrow to the Shinobi Academy classroom for team assignment."

Naruto bowed, acknowledging his orders. It helped that he was going to do those things anyway. He leaned down to help Iruka stand, and then the two slowly walked off towards Konoha. As the Hokage watched them go with a saddened expression, one of the ANBU asked his leader, "What is wrong?"

Hiruzen sighed sadly before replying, "It's nothing important. Just the idle wishes of an old man." The Hokage then turned away from the view. "But now we must get back to the tower. Have Kakashi Hatake and Kurenai Yuhi come to my office. There has been some changes in team placement."

* * *

><p>Kurenai Yuhi walked with some confusion into the Hokage's tower. As she walked up the stairs towards the Hokage's floor, she wondered what had happened to prompt a change in team placement. She had been given Kiba Inuzuka, the heir to the Inuzuka clan, Hinata Hyuga, daughter of the Hyuga clan's leader, and Shino Aburame, the future successor to the Aburame clan. As she entered the Hokage's office, she spied Kakashi Hatake in the room, reading his thrice-damned orange smut book. After the door closed, the Hokage began to speak.<p>

"Ah, Kurenai, I'm glad you arrived. We have much to discuss." He paused for a moment before continuing, "This evening a traitor conspired to steal the Scroll of Sealing. He would have succeeded if it were not for the brave actions of one genin. Naruto Uzumaki." The pair of Jonin were sent into a shocked silence. "Unfortunately the young Uzumaki had to take the life of the traitor in self defense. With the updated knowledge of Naruto's fighting skills, I am changing your two teams around."

He faced Kakashi, the grey haired man putting his book away as the Hokage turned to him. "Kakashi, I am removing Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno from Team Seven. You will be gaining Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame in their place." Kakashi opened his mouth to protest, but the Hokage had already turned to Kurenai. "Kurenai, you will be losing Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. You will be gaining Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno in their place."

The Hokage faced both of the flabbergasted ninja and steepled his fingers before explaining the reasoning behind his decision. "With Iruka's reevaluation of Naruto Uzumaki's skills, it has become apparent to me that his skills are much higher than originally reported. And because of this, I have the opportunity to make _two_ multi-purpose squads. Team Seven can both be a front-line squad and a tracking squad. Team Eight can also now serve both roles. In addition, with all of Team Seven being clan heirs, they will also be a political team. I have decided to test out a new idea. Team Seven _and_ Team Eight will be training together at _least_ once a week. In addition, they will be each other's back-up team." He then gestured to the Jonin in front of him. "Thoughts? You may speak freely."

It only took a few seconds for Kakashi to burst out, "Why my team? You know how I wanted Naruto."

"It's simple." the Hokage began, "You have the Sharingan. You are the _only_ one able to teach Sasuke Uchiha. In addition, you have gone on many political missions."

"But I thought that a growing rivalry between Sasuke and Naruto would benefit them both!" Kakashi argued.

"They can still have their rivalry. Your teams are going to be training together after all." Sarutobi pointed out. Kakashi leaned back, mollified.

The Hokage turned to Kurenai. "With Naruto's combat prowess, Hinata's Byakungan, and Sakura's intelligence, they will be a great asset to the village, able to perform in many different roles. " Kurenai nodded, understanding the logic behind the Hokage's decision. But she didn't understand _why_ they needed to interact with Team Seven so often. Her eyes widened as a sudden thought occurred to her.

Kurenai spoke a moment later, her voice a mix of confusion and slight accusation. "Why are you _really_ having our teams work together?"

The Hokage sighed, before smiling slightly. "Ah Kurenai, you were always one to pick up on the subtle details." His tone then hardened, "What I'm about to tell you is an S-Class secret, breaking it is punishable by death. " He let his words linger in the air before continuing. "Naruto Uzumaki is the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. And while he has shown no signs of giving into the demon's influence, we cannot afford for it to rampage across the land again. The Sharingan has been known to be able to control the Biju to a certain extent, so that is one of the reasons why your teams are training together. The second reason is both much simpler and more...harsh. Out of everyone on your new team, none of them will gain any high-ranking clan status or they aren't part of a major clan at all. But their skills are a great asset to the village, so they will be able to help Team Seven achieve greatness and prestige for the village!"

Kurenai went cold at the Hokage's words. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she realized the truth about her Genin team; as far as the village was concerned, they existed to help other ninja's become great. The village wouldn't help them become great _themselves_. Kurenai silently vowed, in that instant, that she would help her team become great, even if she was the only one who would help them!

Kurenai cast a subtle glance at her fellow Jonin. Hatake seemed to be accepting of the fact that three Genin were going to be nothing more than a spring board for his team's greatness. She turned back the Hokage, her eyes searching his for any regrets for the decision he just made. She couldn't find even _one._

The Hokage waited a few more minutes to see if there would be any more questions. When there wasn't, he dismissed the two Jonin.

As the door closed behind the Jonin, Hiruzen let out a deep sigh, his heart heavy. He hated the fact that he was putting Naruto into a squad that wouldn't succeed much, but it was for the best. The Hokage knew that any ninja couldn't be more important than the village, but Hiruzen knew that when he died, he would have much to answer for what he had done from Naruto's parents. He honestly dreaded the day that he died, for he knew the answers that he could give about his decisions concerning Naruto wouldn't matter to them. For they were family first, village second. Hiruzen heaved another sigh. He doubted that Naruto would ever forgive him if Naruto ever learned of all the secrets that Hiruzen was keeping from him. The Hokage reached for another piece of paperwork to sign.

* * *

><p>Sakura hurried though her morning routine, needing to go meet Naruto as soon as possible! His note, the one that they had acquired from Mizuki-Teme's pocket, had told them about a secret secondary Genin test. Sakura had, after not being about to find Naruto, searched the library for books about secondary tests for Genin. The fact that she didn't find even <em>one<em> reference made her worry all the more. She quickly ate her breakfast, grabbed the breakfast and lunch prepared by her mother, and sprinted off in the direction of Naruto's apartment.

* * *

><p>Hinata hurried though her morning routine; she had hardly gotten any sleep last night after she and Sakura-Chan had parted ways. Naruto's note had concerned her greatly, so great in fact, that she had approached her father in order to ask him if he knew any information about the secret Genin test. His words had been condescending at best, and cold and hurtful at the worst. She grabbed a quick breakfast from one of the servants before heading to Naruto's home.<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto suddenly awoke with a cry of terror. He panted as he struggled to keep the memories at bay. After he had dropped on Iruka-Sensei, he had slowly walked back to his apartment. When he had reached it, he had practically collapsed onto his bed, the day's events finally setting in. He had slowly realized that while he didn't like killing, he didn't regret killing Mizuki. Mizuki had tried to kill Iruka, and somehow he knew that Mizuki would threaten some of his other precious people someday. Naruto couldn't allow that! When he had finally fallen into a restless sleep, he was plagued with nightmares of all of the awful times he had been beaten. Now that he knew why he was hated, all of the villager's taunts made so much more terrible sense. Naruto closed his eyes, slowly pushing the memories back into the dark place in his mind, before slamming the vault shut on the memories. It seemed like just as he was opening his eyes, several loud poundings on his front door echoed though his small apartment. Naruto tilted his head to the side, and <em>listened.<em> His eyes widened happily as he recognized the voices outside. It was Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan!

Sakura raised her hand to "knock" on Naruto's door again when it suddenly opened. Naruto stood there _safe_. Sakura felt instant relief course though her, as she took in Naruto's hurt-free form. Beside her, Hinata did the same. A few moments later, her brain stuttered to a stop for a moment as she registered a very important detail. Naruto wasn't wearing a shirt. Naruto's happy grin combined with his shirtless chest brought a heavy flush to her face, as she turned away.

"Naruto-Baka! We were worried about you! Where were you yesterday?" She demanded, being careful to not let Naruto see her face. It wouldn't do for Naruto to read something into her flushed face that she didn't know about. They were _only_ best friends after all!

Hinata was struck dumb. Naruto was fine! And perhaps more importantly, he was shirtless. As she raked his half-clothed form with her eyes, her face grew more and more heated. Soon she was afraid she might faint from all of the blood rushing to her face. But even still, she couldn't look away!

Naruto was puzzled. Why were Sakura-Chan's and Hinata-Chan's faces red? Had they run all the way to his apartment? If so, they needed a drink! "Sakura-Chan! Hinata-Chan! Come in! I'll get you guys a drink of water! That'll help you regain your breath from all of that running!" He opened the front door wider before heading to his kitchen.

When he came out with two glasses of cold water, he was surprised to see Sakura-Chan's and Hinata-Chan's faces were still red. They really needed to be careful on how hard they pushed themselves. As he set the glasses of water down in front of them, he felt a cool breeze waft though his apartment. A few goosebumps appearing on his chest prompted him to look down. He wasn't wearing a shirt. "I'll be right back!" Naruto called as he headed towards his bedroom, inadvertently giving both girls a whole new view to...admire. Sakura promptly chugged the ice-cold water.

When Naruto came back out of his room a few moments later, he was wearing a shirt; much to the girls' simultaneous relief and disappointment. As he sat down, Sakura burst out with the question she had been nearly bursting to ask. "Where were you yesterday? Does the secret Genin test really exist?" She demanded.

"Well," Naruto began the story, leaving nothing out. There was no secrets between friends after all. "It all started when I entered the exam room at the Academy..."

* * *

><p>Sakura stared at Naruto; anger, pity, and sadness warring within her. Anger at Mizuki for what he did to <em>her<em> Naruto-Kun. Pity for Naruto having to go though such an ordeal, and sadness at the fact that Naruto had to take a life. But the anger was quickly winning as she continued to think about it. How dare Mizuki, or anyone for that matter, try to hurt Naruto! If he wasn't already dead, she would beat him down herself! Naruto's status at a jinchuriki was a shock at first, but looking back, it was the final piece she needed to figure out _why_ everyone seemed to hate Naruto. She scowled. As if anyone could believe that Naruto was some kind of demon in human form. He was Naruto-Kun!

Hinata was frozen. Several emotions frothed within her. Chiefly among them was sadness and anger. Sadness at all of the horrible things Naruto-Kun had to go though, and anger at those who had did them to _her_ Naruto-Kun. Slowly, her sadness gave way to determination. No-one would harm Naruto like that ever again! Ever! She didn't care that Naruto was the Demon Fox's jinchuriki! He was Naruto-Kun!

Naruto sighed happily. They didn't hate him because of his status as a jinchuriki, and for that he was unfathomably grateful . He idly glanced up at his clock, doing a double-take as he realized that time. "Oh crap!" Naruto exclaimed, startling the girls from their ruminations. "We have to go now! Otherwise, we're gunna be late for team placements!" The new Genins quickly sprinted towards the Academy, dodging the human traffic as they rushed to their destination.

* * *

><p>Iruka limped into the classroom. He felt guilty that he hadn't been there to help Naruto though his first kill, but he had been assured that someone had talked to him. It eased the guilty somewhat. He felt his face break into a proud grin as he realized that <em>all<em> of his students had graduated! With this thought, Iruka started roll call. Once it had finished, he started calling out team placements.

"...And for Team Seven, Sasuke Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. Your Sensei will be Kakashi Hatake. For Team Eight, Hinata Hyuga, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki. Your Sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi. For Team Nine..." Iruka's voice was quickly tuned out as Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata quietly celebrated. Naruto grinned happily as he realized that he had completed another stage of his goal!

Ino Yamanaka turned in her seat to taunt Sakura about her team placement of weaklings when she froze with a slight flush to her face. Naruto's smile seemed to light up the room. And if she was being honest with herself, the rest of him wasn't that bad to look at either. Granted, he wasn't Sasuke-Kun, but he wasn't terrible to look at none the less. She turned back around just in time to miss Sakura's and Hinata's eyes narrow at her blush. Ironically, neither of the girls sitting next to Naruto realized that the other was glaring just as hard at Ino as they themselves' were...

Soon, the team announcements were over, and the Jonin started to file in to pick up their teams. After a few teams had left, a pretty black haired woman with red irises walked in. She scanned the room for a moment before calling out, "Team Eight! Meet me in Training Ground Five in fifteen minutes!" She then quickly left the room, heading to the training ground herself.

Naruto did a quick calculation in his mind. He knew he could easily make it to Training Ground Five in ten minutes, but he was unsure if Sakura or Hinata could move that fast. So he suggested a way for the team to make it on time. "Okay! Sakura-Chan, hop on my back. Hinata-Chan! I'll pick you up and carry you. I can make it to Training Ground Five in about ten minutes this way."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest when a sudden thought stopped her short. What if Hinata-Chan took Naruto up on his offer? Then she would be left in the dust and Hinata-Chan would be all _alone_ with Naruto-Kun...

Hinata felt faint at the thought of being carried in Naruto-Kun's arms. She clenched her fists and determined to not pass out. For if she did, Sakura-Chan would be all alone with Naruto-Kun...

"I'll do it!" Sakura and Hinata said at once, glaring at each other for the briefest of seconds. Naruto, who had missed the exchange of glares, grinned happily. He loved it when one of his plans helped Sakura-Chan or Hinata-Chan!

* * *

><p>Kurenai waited at the edge of Training Ground Five. It had only been eight minutes since she had left the Academy building. She was eager to see how fast her students were. Suddenly, she was aware of someone heading in her direction at relatively high speeds. A moment later, all of her students burst into the Training Ground. Or rather, Naruto burst onto the training ground and Sakura and Hinata were along for the ride. Kurenai shrugged to herself as she walked over. Well, at least she knew Naruto was fast now...<p>

"Welcome!" Kurenai greeted her students warmly, "My name is Kurenai Yuhi and I will be your Jonin sensei." Her warm smile put her students at ease as they all disengaged from each other. "Why don't we all share a bit about ourselves?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"Could you go first Kurenai-Sensei? So we know how it's done." Sakura asked, unsure of what information Kurenai wanted.

"I will gladly do that." Kurenai smiled, happy that her students weren't too afraid to ask her questions. "My name is Kurenai Yohi. My likes dumplings, genjutsu, and helping others. My dislikes are those who hurt others for fun, perverts, and those who hurt innocent people. My dream is for my team to succeed in becoming great ninjas and I also want to start a family someday."

She then indicated Sakura should go next. Sakura took a deep breath before starting," My name is Sakura Haruno. My likes are my family, Naruto-Kun, Hinata-Chan, and books." Sakura clenched her fists as she continued," My dislikes are stupid people who hate others, people who hurt my friends, and stupid people who can't see what's in front of them." Sakura looked thoughtful as she spoke about her dreams for the future, "My dream is to become a powerful kunoichi and someday start a family." Sakura threw a confused glance at Naruto as she finished her introduction. She was saved from her confused thoughts when Kurenai indicated that Hinata was next.

"My Name is Hinata Hygua," Hinata began gracefully, drawing on her lessons at her clan home in regards to speaking with others, "My likes are my clan, Naruto-Kun, my Byakungan, and Sakura-Chan." Her eyes narrowed as she relayed her dislikes. "My dislikes are those who hurt or belittle those I care about." A faint blush coated her cheeks as she talked about her dream. "My dream is to be a successful kunoichi and one day start a family." She too sent a glance over at the oblivious Naruto.

Kurenai covered her amused smile at the girls' glances and turned to Naruto expectantly. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto began proudly, "My likes are Sakura-Chan, Hinata-Chan, ramen, and training!" His eyes darked as he continued, "My dislikes are people who try to hurt my friends!" Naruto's eyes lightened as he explained his dream, "My dream is to become the most powerful ninja ever to protect my friends!"

Kurenai blinked. She had been expecting Naruto's dream to be a bit more...beneficial to himself. She gave a mental shrug. It didn't matter. Perhaps his dream would change in time. "Now that we have all introduced ourselves, " She began, drawing the attention of her team, "There is only one more thing we have to take care of. Normally a Jonin tests his prospective team to see if they are able to work together, but I can already see that you three already have good teamwork!" She congratulated. "So let me formally congratulate you on joining Team Eight!"

* * *

><p><strong>MetaStory Reasons for making Naruto a part of Team 8: Since Naruto, unlike in cannon, has shown that he is much more powerful then the academy had told, the Hokage had to change things up. The members, as far as pure cannon goes, are only there due to their grades. So once the grades are changed up, they can't be on the team anymore. And since the easiest way to make for functional teams would be to just swap a few members of Team 7 and Team 8 around, that's what he did. Meta wise, you guys wanted it, so it got changed.**

* * *

><p><strong>To my reviewers:<strong>

SilentSambo88: The points you made in your review influenced greatly influenced the reasons why Naruto was changed over to Team 8. Granted, at this time, they are all unaware of the fact that Hinata and Sakura will be so valuable, but they will be. Team 8 isn't going to be a sideline team for long!

Tdtmedic: Well, Naruto/Hinata/Sakura is definitely a go. Your reasoning behind why the team should be put together was along the reasoning I was thinking.

Guest: I try to establish what is the same and what is different in an AU. This way people can easily understand what is changing and why. It also allows people to look forward to certain events want to see changed in the AU.

dakotabaker72: Thanks adding the story to your watch list! While Naruto is going to be on Team 8, there is going to quite a bit of interaction with Team 7. Have no fear, Team 8 will be directly in many of the story lines in Cannon.

Psycho1988: I try to have a logical or realistic reasons why characters act the way they do. I try to stay away from Fridge Logic. And expect to see a lot more of Naruto's dark, but fierce loyalty to his friends in this chapter.

Guest: Well, this chapter is quite a bit longer. I tend to write until I find a good stopping point. I may or may not use your tactics for a battle in the future.

Hanmac: You'll see the start of their rivalry in this chapter. And as far as the scene you suggested...I'll see what I can do.

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: You are correct. Unlike Team 7 in cannon, this Team 8 is starting with a very strong team dynamic already in place. Also, unlike Team 7 in cannon, each member of the group as multiple roles they excel in that mesh well with the group as a whole. And while I had originally thought of killing off Hinata's team mates, I realized that there was no need if they swapped to Team 7. And that opens up a whole new dynamic as far as the team to team dynamic goes.

Guest: I'm glad you enjoy the developments. And they are on the same team.

Benji-C: You will begin to see the development of Hinata's and Sakura's relationship. As times passes, they will grow closer to each other as best friends and team mates. While their relationship will be closer then "best friends", I can't think of a word to describe their future relationship. And your analysis of the team members is spot on.

DragonPony022: I am trying my best to keep their relationships as believable as possible. And I really enjoy writing Naruto's sheer denseness. So expect that to stick around for a bit. That said, once they break thought it...And about Sasuke, you'll see in this chapter the beginnings of what happens when Naruto, and perhaps later Sakura, beat him in something. As far as Kurenai goes, I'm not sure how long her babying her team will last given the stuff that the team will be thrown into.

midnightscar17: Here's your update!

Cuervo Blanco: Generally, I am against harem pairings myself. But sometimes a story will gain a life of its own. I honestly didn't plan on this story becoming a harem, but as it developed, it slowly moved in that direction. Granted, the harem paring isn't set in stone, so it's possible that it could drift in another direction. Possible, but unlikely. As far as team placements go, I was originally going to have Naruto on Team 7. But after carefully considering this chapter and its implications, I realized that the Hokage would have jumped at the chance to gain more versatile teams while simultaneously gaining a team that would be able to go on political missions as a poster team of sorts. Naruto was believed to be dead last right up until the Mizuki incident, mainly due to his grades being altered by Mizuki and others. And with the Hokage being unable to watch him personally, he had to believe the false grades. When it became apparent that that was not the case, he had to change something. And so he changed what he could while not disrupting the rest of claimed teams. And as far as your suggestions about the semi cannon genins go, they are currently doing cannon things. That said, soon we will have smashed cannon to bits, and they will change accordingly. It's going to be very interesting.

* * *

><p>So how was it? Drop a review and let me know!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5: The End of Innocence

**You guys rock! **

**Since no one voted for me to skip to the Wave Arc, welcome to Team 8's first mission! **

**Since I couldn't honestly figure out if what missions the original Team 8 went on in Cannon, I just had to make my own missions. Since technically we don't know what missions they went on, I'm marking this as an AU change. **

**Responses to all of your awesome reviews will be at the bottom. **

**I put up a poll up on my account page. Drop by there and vote! I made the poll slightly vague to keep some semblance of mystery. It's honestly not very hard to figure it out, but it's the thought that counts. Depending on what you guys pick, the Wave Arc will turn out one of two ways, and the ripples of that arc will affect the rest of the story. **

**And without any more delay, here's Chapter 5: The End of Innocence**

* * *

><p>Kurenai stretched as she walked out of the shower. It had been an interesting three weeks, she mused as she dried and dressed for the day. She had originally had, despite herself, a few reservations when dealing with her team, especially Naruto. She still felt ashamed that she even entertained such thoughts.<p>

She found that Naruto was a honest, hardworking, slightly naive boy who cared so much for his friends. Kurenai doubted there was a limit to how far Naruto would go for his friends. As she had started training her team, she had originally intended to slowly ease them into the more intense training. That thought hadn't even lasted a day. Kurenai smiled as she remembered the conversation she had with her team after she had explained why they were taking it slow...

_"What?" Came Naruto's disbelieving voice. "You don't want us to train to be the best?" Kurenai blinked, That wasn't what she meant at all!_

_"What Naruto is trying to say," Sakura explained hastily, "Is that we have trained harder than this by ourselves. We should be pushed even harder by you, our sensei. We can't afford to be untrained when we go on missions." Sakura finished, satisfied that she had gotten her point across. _

_Kurenai was brought up short by Sakura's explanation. Was she really going to be hindering their growth as Shinobi? She was silent as she considered what to do. After a little while, she spoke up, her words carrying a sense of finality. _

_"All right. I'll train you all each day to your limit. But I will not have you exceeding your limit and hurting yourselves." She looked sternly at each of her students. Sakura and Hinata nodded, content with her reasoning. Naruto looked like he wanted to protest, but then a look of insight seemed to spread across his face. He nodded his acceptance._

Kurenai let a proud smile appear across her face as she thought about how much her team of Genins had grown in only three short weeks. Sakura had already mastered several D-rank genjutsus, and one D-rank water ninjutsu. Hinata had mastered two D-rank fire ninjutus and one D-rank lightning jutsu. She had also improved by leaps and bounds with her bloodline. Naruto had been the greatest surprise of them all. He had the rare high affinity for wind. While Kurenai had known a few D-rank and C-rank fire, water, and lightning techniques like all Jonin, she had not known any wind techniques. Fortunately for her, Asuma Sarutobi was more than happy to help teach the young blonde several D-rank techniques. Originally Asuma had planned on only teaching Naruto one technique, but Naruto had mastered it within the day. Asuma had challenged Naruto to learn four more techniques within a week. Naruto had mastered them _all _within six days. Now, Asuma was currently helping her teach Naruto several more wind techniques. The entire team had also mastered several basic movement techniques.

Speaking of Naruto, Kurenai once again wondered what Naruto's "secret training" he kept disappearing to was. He had assured them, Sakura and Hinata more than Kurenai, his personal training was "perfectly safe". She had originally intended on pointing out that Naruto's version of "safe" and everyone else's definition of "safe" were completely different things. But as she caught a look at Naruto's sparkling eyes and his proud smile, she could do nothing other than remind him to stay...safe. She liked to think that her words had some effect on Naruto's reckless behavior.

Kurenai frowned as she remembered that these last few weeks hadn't been all perfect. The main issue of her contention was the weekly team training between Team Seven and Team Eight. The first time had started out all right, with a simple introduction between teams. Once they had finished introductions however, it took a sharp downturn for the worse. Kakashi had suggested a simple team sparring match to assess the two team's level of team work. Not seeing the harm, she had agreed.

Team Eight had practically slaughtered Team Seven. While the individual members of Team Seven were skilled, they stood little chance against the all-but-flawless teamwork of Team Eight. The members of Team Seven had broken up as soon as the fight started. Kiba and Sasuke had rushed Naruto, who defended himself. Shino had been left all alone and was quickly picked off by the combined efforts of Sakura and Hinata. Once they had taken care of the Aburame, Kiba had quickly went down to a combination of genjusu and Naruto's close-combat prowess.

Sasuke had foolishly attempted to burn Naruto with a Great Fireball Jutsu. Naruto had dodged out of the way, and Sasuke was quickly taken down by the two angry female members of Team Eight. Kakashi had hoped the fight would be an eye-opener for his team to learn _why_ teamwork was important. It instead had a very different effect. Shino had slowly opened up to Team Eight, especially Naruto. He seemed to enjoy the dual team training for that reason alone. Kiba had learned to curb his recklessness in fights to a certain extent, realizing that it just had made him an easier target.

Sasuke was a puzzle. On the one hand, he progressed in training faster than the other members of his team, but at the same time, he didn't do it for to learn per say. Instead, he seemed to have gained a new goal in defeating Naruto and, to a lesser extent, Team Eight. While Kakashi had seemed satisfied Sasuke's reasoning, Kurenai couldn't help but worry about how far Sasuke would go to defeat Naruto and Team 8.

Kurenai munched on her breakfast as she considered her team. It was obvious to practically everyone, minus Naruto, that _both_ Sakura and Hinata had feelings that stretched beyond mere friendship. However, ironically enough, it seemed that Sakura herself was oblivious to the fact that she fancied the young blonde. Kurenai suspected that Sakura's obliviousness wouldn't last much longer. Tomorrow was their first C-rank mission after all. Missions like that tended to bring things into perspective. But first, today was another dual team training day! Kurenai sighed. May as well get this over with...

* * *

><p>Team Eight showed up to Training Ground Three early, as per usual. Surprisingly, Shino was waiting for them. "Shino!" Naruto called out happily, "How's it going?'<p>

"It is going well." Shino answered in his normal monotone, "I am ready to start another day of training with your team. " He paused for a moment and then asked Naruto hesitantly, "Could you make a few of your clones? I have an idea I wish to test out." Seeing Sakura and Hinata begin to frown, he hurriedly added, "You will not be harmed. Only your clones."

"Sure!" Naruto instantly replied, happy to help Shino. The young Aburame was quickly becoming someone Naruto would consider a friend. Naruto quickly looked back at his sensei for permission to go with Shino. Seeing her nod, the two boys made their way to the far side of the field. As they walked, Naruto inquired how Shino's team was doing.

"If we were a hive, it would have torn itself apart by now. Or starved to death." Came Shino's blunt reply.

Naruto grimaced. "That bad huh?"

"Yes. If it was allowed to have four Genins on a team, I would request to join Team Eight. Your team seems to be a productive hive." Shino replied, his monotone voice sounding slightly frustrated.

"Well, " Naruto scratched his head as he thought, "Is there any reason _why_ we can't have one more person on our team?"

"It has always been three Genins and a Jonin instructor. " Shino's voice sounded thoughtful. "But I can't see any reason why one more person couldn't be added to a team. It's not like we are attempting to add a second queen to the hive."

"I'll ask Sakura-Chan when we get back!" Naruto promised, "She'll know if there is a reason why you can't have four Genins in a team."

Shino nodded as they both stopped on the far side of the training grounds. At Shino's gesture, Naruto created five clones. As Shino formed a Insect Clone, he explained the new technique he was trying to create.

"You are aware of the Insect Clone Technique, correct?" At Naruto's nod, he continued, his monotone voice becoming slightly animated, "Since our talk about creating our own new jutsus, I realized that I could make the Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu much more effective in combat. " He paused as he motioned for Naruto's clone to strike his Insect Clone. "I realized that if I could have the insects attack the person that stuck it, the insects could instantly begin their assault." Naruto's clone punched the Mushi Bunshin directly in the chest. Immediately after the clone's fist hit, Shino's clone seemed to collapse onto Naruto's shocked clone. Naruto's clone dispelled a moment later when the several hundred bugs that had previously made up Shino's clone bit down.

"Nice!" Naruto congratulated. "Good job! It's a awesome technique!"

Shino nodded his thanks. "And what of your new ninjutsu you are creating?"

Naruto glanced around quickly. "Well, I'm working on controlling the newest one. I only lost _fifty_ clones last time I lost control of it."

Shino nodded. It wasn't easy creating new techniques. Especially if you wanted it to be a surprise from your team mates, one of which could see though walls.

After they finished testing Shino's new technique several more times, they spied Kakashi entering the field. They headed back towards the gathering group. As they grew nearer, Naruto heard Sakura angrily say something to either Kiba or Sasuke. A determined look crossed Naruto's face. He would find out today why Sasuke didn't like him!

As soon as Naruto and Shino entered the group, Sasuke spoke up, his voice angry and determined. "I'll fight the Uzumaki today for today's individual sparring session." Before anyone could protest, Naruto spoke up.

"I accept." Naruto's voice was filled with determination.

Shino quickly looked between the two remaining members of Team Eight. While he didn't really like having his chakra points blocked off, it was much better than simply being beaten into unconsciousness by Sakura.

"I would like to spar Hinata-San." Shino professed, his monotone voice not giving any hints to his reasoning why he wanted to fight Hinata.

"I accept Shino-San's offer."

Kiba gulped and muttered quietly, "Well shit." He knew what was going to happen. He and Sakura would fight, she would catch him off guard, and then she would beat him into the ground until he surrendered. Kiba sighed. Life wasn't fair sometimes. He really couldn't go all out against Sakura, or Hinata for that matter. He liked living, thank-you very much. Kiba was certain that if he somehow seriously hurt Hinata or Sakura, even if by accident, Naruto would kill him. And he wanted to avoid dying...

* * *

><p>The fight order was randomly chosen. It would be Hinata verses Shino, Sakura verses Kiba, and finally Naruto verses Sasuke. Hinata and Shino moved to opposite ends of the sparring field. They waited for the signal to start.<p>

" Hajime!"

Hinata immediately charged her opponent, her hands forming the seals for the fire jutsu called Blaze Spark. Shino, realizing the danger, sprinted across the field at a diagonal, outpacing the small fiery blasts from Hinata. Dodging another fire blast, he continued to sprint to the right. Suddenly, with a small pop, Hinata appeared in front of him with her hand already coated in Chakra! Shino had no time to react before two of his chakra points were abruptly cut off.

"I surrender." He called, still slightly confused at how Hinata had suddenly appeared in front of him. Hinata smiled apologetically and poked him twice more, reopening the closed chakra points. After she opened the second point, Shino inquired, "How did you move so fast Hinata-San?"

Hinata blushed slightly and shook her head. "I didn't move fast at all Shino-San. I simply swapped places with the kunai Naruto had dropped earlier."

"Ah." Shino nodded in understanding. He had wondered why Naruto hadn't picked up the kunai when he had dropped it, but he had simply dismissed it. He would not make the same mistake again.

As Hinata and Shino exited the sparring area, Sakura and a reluctant Kiba entered the field. Kiba had left his ninja-dog partner, Akamaru, on the sidelines; for he didn't know any techniques that didn't do serious damage. And doing serious damage to his sparring...partner was something he wanted to avoid _at all costs._ After they reached their sides of the sparring area, the match started in earnest.

" Hajime!"

Kiba charged Sakura, attempting to catch her off guard and hopefully force a submit. As he charged, he could see Sakura quickly forming hand seals. A wall of water shot into the air between Kiba and Sakura. Kiba grinned to himself and forced more chakra into his limbs. He couldn't wait to see Sakura's face when he burst though her water wall!

With a mighty grunt, Kiba hurled himself through the water wall! As soon as he landed, he readied himself to attack. But Sakura was nowhere in sight! Kiba stopped and looked around in confusion. Where had she gone? Kiba sniffed the air. Suddenly, he caught Sakura's scent. It was directly behind him! As Kiba tensed to spin around, the cold steel of a kunai was pressed against his neck. He froze.

"I...surrender." Came Kiba's voice, still terribly confused. As soon as he surrendered, he felt the kunai retract. he turned around, a quizzical look on his face. Sakura, seeing Kiba's confused look, explained how she had won.

"After I formed the water wall, your line of sight on me disappeared. At that point I simply used a genjutsu to blend in with the area so you missed me when you burst though the water. It was simple to maneuver behind you at that point."

Kiba nodded. While his pride was stung, he realized that his own tactics had been turned against him. He resolved to fight Naruto next time, since neither boy used weak tactics such as genjutsu to win. As he and Sakura left the field, his mind was whirling with ideas of how to prevent this from happening again.

Sasuke and Naruto entered the field, each with determination blazing in their eyes, although for vastly different reasons. After making sure both fighters were ready, Kakashi started the match.

" Hajime!"

Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan and hurled several kunai simultaneously at Naruto. As Naruto moved to dodge the kunai, the Last Uchiha's hands blazed though the hand signs for the Great Fireball Technique. He shot the jutsu directly towards where Naruto was headed! Naruto barely dodged out of the oncoming fireball, using a handspring to gain extra distance.

Naruto skidded to the side and formed a few hand signs. A gust of wind shot towards Sasuke. The black haired Uchiha dove out of the way of the attack, but he lost sight of Naruto during his dodge. As he vaulted to his feet, he barely managed to bring his arm up to block Naruto's fist. As he spun to gain the advantage, Naruto's words almost made him stumble.

"Why do you not like me?" Naruto asked with a curious tone, "I can't think of really anything I did to make you hate me, other than beating you in a spar."

Sasuke leapt back a few feet to put distance between them. Naruto's question had badly shaken him. For all this time he had assumed that Naruto disliked him as much as he disliked Naruto, but that didn't seem to be the case.

For a moment, Sasuke wished he could tell Naruto how he felt sometimes. How the crushing weight of his responsibility to his clan sometimes seemed like a burden too great to bare. How he would awaken at night screaming as the scenes of the night his clan had _died_ once again plagued him. How the village had started treating him like a prince right after his parents' death. How he had been brought up knowing that the Uchiha clan was the strongest, but that strength hadn't helped them against one of their own. But he couldn't tell Naruto these things. For he wasn't _weak._

"It's the fact that you are a clan-less looser." Sasuke snarled, his voice rising as he continued. . "You don't even have a clan! You're a nobody! And yet you still win against me! An Uchiha!" Sasuke charged Naruto, determined to beat him. For if he couldn't beat a clan-less looser like the Uzumaki, how was he supposed to ever kill his brother?

As he grew near to Naruto, the blonde knocked his hand out of the way, slammed his hand into Sasuke's chest at a upwards angle, and then swept the Uchiha's legs out from under him in one smooth flow of motions.

Sasuke hit the ground hard on his backside, a pained grunt escaping him. A shadow fell over him. He looked up. Naruto stood a two feet away from him with an understanding expression.

"I don't know what it's like to have a family. I never had one. So I don't know what it's like for them to be taken away." Naruto confessed, his voice having some quality that grabbed all of Sasuke's attention. "But what I do know is this: Having friends is the best feeling in the world. They give you strength to defend them, and in return they are there for you." Naruto extended his hand. "Would you like a friend?"

Sasuke stared at the offered hand. A vast part of him desperately wanted a friend, but something held him back. Suddenly the words of his hated brother, Itachi, replayed in his mind.

_"...you don't hate enough."_

Sasuke stood up by slowly, ignoring Naruto's offered hand. As he started leaving the field, a confused Naruto called after him, wondering why he hadn't taken Naruto's offer of friendship.

"You don't hate enough." Came the reply from the black haired boy.

Sasuke headed off towards the empty Uchiha clan compound. Naruto's words had shaken him deeply, and he needed to be _alone_.

The rest of the group watched the Last Uchiha leave with a confused expressions. "What did you say to him, Naruto?" Kakashi questioned, wondering what had possibly gotten under the black-haired genin's skin.

"All I asked is if he wanted to a friend." Naruto replied, still confused by Sasuke's last words. What did "You don't hate enough" even mean?

The team training quickly broke up after Sasuke left, the other members of Team Seven citing various reasons to leave. Within a few minutes, the only ones left in Training Ground Three was Team Eight. Kurenai pondered what could have caused such a reaction in Sasuke. She felt the expectant stares of her students. She mentally shrugged. She could think on the Uchiha's strange behavior later. Right now, she had students to teach.

* * *

><p>The next day Team Eight filed into the Hokage's office. The Hokage looked up with a warming smile. "What can I do for you today?" Hiruzen asked kindly.<p>

"I would like to request a C-Rank mission for my team." Kurenai requested in a formal tone, her voice cold and professional. Hiruzen sighed. He had been afraid of this. The Hokage looked Kurenai directly in the eye.

"Do you think that they are ready?" The Hokage questioned the Jonin.

Kurenai nodded. "They are ready for a C-Rank mission." She firmly held the Hokage gaze until he nodded. He turned and began to look though a stack of mission requests.

"Ah, here we are." The Hokage said in a satisfied tone, "I found a good mission for your team. It's a simple bandit removal mission."

Kurenai blinked in shock. While she knew that her students would have to kill eventually, she hadn't expected their first mission to be a kill-mission. She sighed heavily. Kurenai paged though the mission briefing. A small village was being plagued by a small band of bandits. It was rumored that the leader of the bandits was a missing-ninja, a ninja who had left his village and was declared a traitor. Overall, it seemed like a easier mission for her team.

"We accept. "

As Team Eight left the Hokage's office, Kurenai instructed her Genins to meet her at the western gate in two hours with enough supplies to last them a week and a half. The three Genins quickly ran off, intent on gathering everything they needed within the time allotted.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Kurenai walked up to the western gate. As she approached, she spied her Genins sprinting in her direction. Well, Hinata and Sakura were sprinting. Kurenai suspected that Naruto had gotten sidetracked again with his sealing scrolls. Ever since she had bought a sealing scroll for Naruto, he had been attempting to alter the sealing scroll, claiming that he could make it better. While she suspected that such a feat wasn't really possible, she had learned better then to simply discount Naruto's ideas. Kurenai shrugged. Naruto would be here shortly.<p>

As Kurenai, Sakura, and Hinata waited for Naruto, Kurenai asked the girls what they had brought for the trip. Hinata had brought a small camping tent, two weeks of rations, two changes of clothing, and various supplies for camping. She had brought along a normal set of kunai and shuriken. All in all, Hinata only carried with her three small sealing scrolls.

Sakura, by contrast, had a large spacious tent, two weeks of home-cooked meals for the group, _two _sets of kunai and shuriken, several changes of clothing, and large amounts of rope. When asked about the rope, Sakura had launched into a lecture about the various uses for rope. As her speech was wrapping up several minutes later, Naruto arrived.

Naruto, unlike the other members of his group, had taken to bringing everything he owned along with him, minus his furniture. It was much easier to simply use sealing scrolls and bring it all along then have it...misplaced by the time he returned to his apartment. To that end, he had brought two weeks of ramen for the group, his changes of clothing, the three pictures he had of his friends, and several dozen kunai and shuriken. All in all, Naruto had two sealing scrolls with him.

Kurenai, concerned that Naruto was carrying most of his weaponry loosely in a sealing scroll instead of in a proper sealing holster, asked Naruto what he had done with the holster the kunai came with.

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned, confused at what Kurenai was referring to. "Kunai come with holsters?"

"You didn't get one when you bought them?" Kurenai questioned, concerned that her Genin had gotten taken advantage of by some unscrupulous merchant.

"Huh?" Naruto replied still confused for a moment. Then he understood in a flash of insight. "I've never bought kunai or shurikens. I've just found them on the ground ,taken them home, and cleaned them up. Sometimes I've even gotten the high quality ones!" He explained.

"Naruto," Kurenai said hesitantly, "Why don't you buy kunai at the store?"

"Eh," Naruto said with a dismissive wave, "They don't like to sell me things. The prices seem to change a lot when I'm in the store." _"And eating at least once every day is more important anyway." _He added silently. The shocked silence that followed was almost deafening. Each other member of the group was occupied with how they were reacting to the news.

Kurenai almost couldn't believe that any store owner would do such a thing to a child. But that knowledge was secondary to her observation of Naruto-San as he recounted the unfair treatment. It hadn't seemed to bother him. Kurenai's eyes narrowed. This meant that this wasn't a new occurrence. Well, when she got back, she would have a little...talk with the store owner.

Hinata felt confused. In all her life, she had never experienced a store clerk ever give _anyone_ a hard time. Often they would even give _discounts_ to her father. The idea that someone would deliberately raise prices in their store for someone like Naruto-Kun was almost foreign. She resolved to talk to her father when she got back.

Sakura was angry. If she had been able to think logically about the situation, she would have realized that she shouldn't have been surprised by the store's treatment of _her_ Naruto-Kun. But she was surprised. As Sakura thought about the issue more, she wondered if _all_ of the village, not just a few stupid ninja as she had previously thought, hated Naruto. If so...Sakura wondered what she could do about it. Because no one hurt Naruto-Kun!

Kurenai shook herself from her dark thoughts. There would be time for those later. She turned and called out to her students, breaking them from their thoughts. "It's time to go!" She urged them, "It's your first mission outside of the village! I'll explain the mission as we head towards the mission's area of operation."

With a shout of happiness from Naruto, Team Eight set off towards the mission.

* * *

><p>After a day of travel, Team Eight stopped to camp for the evening. After the group had set up camp and gotten a fire going, they naturally gravitated towards the fire to talk. As Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata conversed amongst themselves, they noticed that Kurenai, their sensei, wasn't talking much. In fact, she was staring into the fire with a troubled look on her face.<p>

Kurenai sighed as she stared into the campfire. She was confused, angry, and saddened. As she brooded about all of the information she had gotten today, Naruto's voice broke her out of her ruminations.

"Kurenai-Sensei, are you all right?" Naruto's tone had undisguised worry laced in it.

Kurenai turned to her worried Genins. She sighed again. She wished that they didn't have to take this mission. That they wouldn't have to lose their innocence this early. That they could remain young and _happy_ children. Alas, it would not be the case.

"Do you know what mission we have been assigned?" Kurenai began carefully, "It is a bandit removal mission. " She glanced at her Genins. They seemed to be slightly confused. She sighed and looked away from her students to the fire once again. "What a bandit retrieval mission means is that you track down the bandits that are causing trouble...and then you kill them." Her words hung over the group.

"Ok." Naruto said simply, breaking the silence after a few moments. Kurenai snapped her head to look over at him. He didn't seemed to be taking the news poorly. In fact, he didn't even seem very surprised. Kurenai wondered, and not for the first time, who really _was_ Naruto Uzumaki? Was the real Naruto a smiling child who met each day with unlimited enthusiasm? Was the real Naruto the unpredictable ninja who fought a shinobi who was his better in every way, only for the blonde to win a decisive victory? Or was it a young man who clung to his friends and would do whatever it takes to keep them safe?

"I-I should have expected this," Sakura began hesitantly, her face pale, "After all, _all_ ninja eventually have to kill. It's usually a genin's first or second C-Rank mission that they make their first kill." She finished, seemingly taking some comfort in her knowledge.

Hinata was frozen, Kurenai's words echoing in her head. She was going to have to kill. She was going to have to destroy someone else's life. They would die! As the words echoed louder and louder her skull, she began to feel lightheaded. Then a sudden thought stopped the echos.

_"Those ninja tried to __**kill**__ Naruto-Kun didn't they? What if they tried again? Would I hesitate to stop them?" _Hinata shook her head at her thoughts, determination flooding her. She wouldn't be the cause of Naruto-Kun getting hurt! Ever!

Naruto looked at his sensei after glancing at his team mates. "Kurenai-Sensei, we're ready for this! This is what we trained for!" His voice conveyed such conviction that it bolstered the rest of the team. Looking at their determined faces, Kurenai's heart eased to a certain extent. She smiled proudly at _her_ students. They were the models of the perfect students. She knew that she wasn't so mature when _she_ was their age! As they prepared to turn in for the evening, Sakura realized something important.

"Naruto, where is your tent?" She questioned, a suspicion growing in her mind.

"Eh, I don't have one. " Naruto dismissed. Seeing the dark look on Sakura's face, he hastened to add, "But I've slept in worse conditions than this." Sakura now looked angry. Naruto's eyes widened, _"What did I say?"_ He wondered frantically. But then Sakura stormed up to him and grabbed his arm, making him flinch slightly.

"You're sleeping in my tent! There's plenty of room for two!" Sakura hadn't made two steps towards her tent when she replayed her words in her head, her face flushing a bright red. "W-What I m-meant was we are just going to sleep! In separate sleeping bags!" She hurriedly clarified, not looking at Naruto.

"Huh?" Naruto said confused, reaching up to scratch his head, "What else would we do but sleep?"

"N-Nothing!" Sakura quickly replied, suddenly remembering to let go of Naruto's arm. Naruto got a quick glance at Sakura's face before she turned away again. Why was her face flushed? Naruto wondered. Maybe she had gotten too much heat by being close to the fire? Naruto resolved to make sure that Sakura didn't burn herself by being too close to the fire.

Hinata watched Naruto-Kun disappear into _Sakura-Chan's_ tent. She felt conflicted. While part of her knew that all they would do is sleep, another part of her wanted to turn on her Byakugan and watch the tent all night! Still another part wished that she had brought a bigger tent _herself.._.

Kurenai shook her head in amusement at another instance of her team's strange relationship dynamic. She then settled in for a long night of watching over her Genins.

* * *

><p>Morning seemed to come too quickly for Hinata. It seemed that she had just now fallen to sleep. She was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that Naruto was sleeping in Sakura-Chan's tent. And she most certainly didn't watch the tent off and on for several hours with her Byakugan...Although, she admitted silently, Naruto did have the nicest expression when he slept.<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto stretched as he exited Sakura-Chan's tent. Sakura-Chan was still sleeping at the moment. Naruto figured that he would grab a quick bite to eat before seeking out Kurenai-Sensei. A serious expression crossed his face. He really needed to talk to Sensei before they set out for the day!<p>

Hinata froze at the door flap of her tent. Naruto was sitting eating food in front of the fire! But more importantly, he didn't have a shirt on! Hinata slowly backed into her tent, letting the flap fall. She concentrated, her Byakugan activating. Breakfast could wait. She had something more _important_ to watch.

* * *

><p>Kurenai yawned. It had been a boring night. A sudden rustle of leaves to her left side had her reaching for her a kunai. When Naruto immerged a second later, she relaxed, casually returning the kunai to her holster. She turned to Naruto and stopped short seeing his serious expression. Given that this was the first time she had seen a serious expression on the blonde's face, she hopped down from the tree she had been resting in to give Naruto her full attention.<p>

"Kurenai-Sensei, "Naruto began, "When Hinata-Chan and Sakura-Chan make their first kill, you need to help them though getting over it after the battle. " Seeing Kurenai open her mouth, Naruto guessed her question. "I can't help them with getting over their first kill." Kurenai opened and closed her mouth several times. This wasn't what she had been expecting!

"Why can't you help them though their first kill?" She questioned, remembering the Naruto had made _his_ first kill less than a month ago.

"Because I didn't _need_ to kill Mizuki." Naruto revealed. "I could have just knocked him out. But he threatened my precious people. " Naruto's monotone voice would have made Shino proud.

Kurenai mentally reeled. Mizuki hadn't been killed in self-defense? _Naruto_, of all people, had _chosen_ to take a life? Suddenly, Iruka's words to her made sense.

_It was just before she entered the classroom to meet her students for the first time. Iruka stopped her and told her something that would leave her very confused._

_"Kurenai-San, you are to be Naruto-San's Jonin instructor, correct?" Seeing Kurenai's nod, he continued, "Then let me give you one piece of advice. Never threaten his precious people." He had then left to go back into the classroom, leaving a confused Jonin standing in the halls._

Kurenai looked over at Naruto. She smiled warmly. "Of course I'll be there for them!" She reassured her student. Naruto sent her a grateful smile before he headed back towards the camp. "Naruto-Kun, " Kurenai called out after a sudden terrible thought crossed her mind, "Was there anyone for you after you made your first kill?" Naruto's bitter smile as he shook his head almost broke her heart.

* * *

><p>The team made good time, making it to the village shortly after midday four days later. They had been quickly shown to the village's leader. He had given them directions to the last place the bandit group had been seen in. Team Eight headed out.<p>

Three hours later, Team Eight was crouched on a hill overlooking the bandit camp. Hinata's Byakugan had quickly found the bandit camp from a distance once they had moved into the correct area. After they had reached the location that the bandits had been last seen in, Hinata had activated her bloodline. After several minutes of concentrating, she located the bandit camp several miles away.

Kurenai carefully observed the camp. Since it was nearing evening, the bandits were starting to settle in for the day. Two guards were posted at each corner of the camp, facing away from its center. Most of the bandits where either by the fire in the center or clustered around the several tents that were scattered around the camp.

"All right, " Kurenai addressed her team in a low, quiet voice, "Here's the plan: Each of us will be taking out two guards. After you finish that, we will use our most powerful area of effect techniques simultaneously. Then, we will head in to finish off the survivors. The signal to use the jutsu will be the cry of a hawk." She paused, giving her students time to process the plan. "If," She continued with a firm tone, "You are in danger of being overwhelmed, spike your chakra! At that point, any team members nearby will come to assist you." She paused again. "Any questions?"

Naruto looked over at her. "Wouldn't it be better if I sent one of my clones with each person?" Kurenai shook her head.

"While that normally would be a fine idea, the leader of the camp is a missing nin. We don't know his capabilities, so we can't risk him feeling your chakra spike as you create the clones."

Naruto nodded, disappointed. He understood why he couldn't use his clones, but he still wanted be there to assist his team if they needed it. He resolved to be on the lookout for any chakra spikes. Kurenai motioned for her team to meet her at the edge of the hilltop. After they assembled, she pointed out what set of guards each of the team was going to take out. After everyone indicated that they understood their orders, the ninja melted into the shadows.

* * *

><p>Kurenai moved silently towards her two targets. With a whispered phrase, her genjutsu took hold. She watched as the two bandits walked closer to her location, unaware that they were moving. After they passed her location, she swiftly moved up behind them. Two quick slashes of her kunai later left them swiftly bleeding out. She quickly put the guards out of their misery.<p>

* * *

><p>Hinata crouched near the two bandit guards she was supposed to take out. She swallowed before steeling her resolve. She closed her eyes, concentrating. A moment later she opened them, her Byakugan now activated. She peered closer at the two bandits, mentally planning out how to take them out without noise and how to minimize the pain they would feel. After a few moments, Hinata moved closer. When she got within range, she rushed the guards. Before they could mutter a surprised curse, Hinata struck with precise, pin-point accuracy. Both guards collapsed at her feet, temporarily stunned. Hinata eyed their vital pressure points. She steeled herself. And she <em>struck<em>.

* * *

><p>Sakura peeked out at the guards she was ordered to kill. They seemed to have been there for several hours, and periodically shuffled from side to side. A plan was slowly coming together in her mind. She carefully made the hand signs for her most powerful genjutsu, taking care that her movements wouldn't be seen. If the bandits had looked behind them, they would have seen something terribly confusing. Two more bandits, looking exactly like themselves, stood behind them. Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath. She drew her kunai. As soon as the guards looked away from her position, she charged. Her sudden movement drew the guards attention towards her, but they didn't have time to react before she was next to them. Her kunai flashed, cutting deep into the first guard's side. As he crumpled over with a surprised curse, Sakura flung her Kunai into the second guards throat. She then frantically grabbed another kunai out of her holster as she spied the first guard about to cry out. Her panicked thrust with the kunai hit the guard in the throat, and she watched with a morbid curiosity as he gurgled wetly around the metal. Bile bubbled up in her throat as he slowly died. She purposefully avoided looking down at her blood-soaked hands, knowing that if she did, she wouldn't be able to complete the second part of the plan. And that was something she wouldn't allow. She wouldn't let down <em>her<em> team!

* * *

><p>Naruto watched the two guards, not impressed with their abilities. Had they been shinobi, he might have been slightly cautious. But he had hid from entire <em>mobs<em> of enraged ninja before, so hiding from two non-ninja bandits was ridiculously easy. Naruto flexed his hands. He slowly pulled two kunai from the holster, one for each hand. He flipped them to a reverse grip. Then he surged towards the guards. Before they could react, he sprang onto the surprised guards. Two wet _thuds_ sounded quietly as Naruto thrust the kunai into each of the two bandit's throats. Naruto twisted the kunais, ending the bandits' life. He carefully wiped the kunais on the bandits clothing. He then settled back and waited for the signal, staying alert for any chakra spikes.

* * *

><p>Kurenai waited, adding an extra five minutes to how long she figured it would take until her students killed the guards. She had initially worried that her students would become paralyzed after their first kill, but then she had realized something. She trusted her students. Trusted them to get the job done. After the five minutes elapsed, she raised her hands, and gave the cry of a hawk. As the last notes of the bird cry faded into the air, her hands flashed though the hand signs for her most powerful fire jutsu. A large fireball, about four feet wide, rocketed towards the center of the camp. A second after it exploded in the center, a large wave of water rushed though the camp. The bandits barely had time to react before several blades of wind ripped though the camp. Kurenai heard the crackle of a lightning jutsu off in the distance. She smiled. Her team was going to be all right! The Jonin drew another kunai and headed into the camp, intent on finding the leader of the bandits.<p>

* * *

><p>Naruto charged into the bandit camp, intent on finding Sakura-Chan, Hinata-Chan, and Kurenai-Sensei. He hadn't made it more than twenty steps before a slight flash of red and orange speeding in his direction forced him to dive out of the way. As he rolled back to his feet, he spotted the bandit leader charging in his direction. The leader flashed though several hand signs and brought his hand up to his mouth. Suddenly a half-dozen fire bullets rocketed towards Naruto!<p>

Naruto hurled himself up into the air, his hands automatically coming up in a cross sign. Seconds later, a giant white smoke cloud engulfed Naruto. When it dissipated, the missing nin's mouth dropped openS. _One-hundred_ copies of the blonde ninja fell towards him! Desperate, he fired a veritable volley of fire bullets at the falling crowd. The sky was soon filled with white smoke and explosions of fire. As he fired the final bullet towards the last falling clone, a flash of movement in the corner his eye had him dodging back by instinct; it was the only thing that saved his life. Naruto's hand swept passed the leader's face by a scant inch, the blonde's hand glowing ominously.

The leader skidded to a halt five feet from Naruto, his hands already on the last seal for his jutsu. A _wall_ of fire bullets screamed out the missing ninja's mouth! The missing ninja could only watch in stunned disbelief as the Genin charged the wall of fire. Naruto _blurred. _Instinct once again saved the leader as he instinctively blocked Naruto's fist as the blonde dodged the final fire bullet.

The leader suddenly grinned. He grabbed the shocked Genin's arm and wrenched it upwards, jerking the arm out of Naruto's socket as the blonde was thrown into the air! As Naruto flew over the missing nin's head, Naruto _snarled_ and his hand once again glowed ominously. He slammed the glowing hand on top the leaders head! Naruto was blasted back by the sudden explosion that followed the instant his hand made contact with the leader's head.

Naruto landed in a crouch, not taking his eyes of the missing ninja. When he had first conceived of his new technique, had never imagined it would be that...messy. Naruto watched the ninja's lower half slump to the ground, the blonde's technique having blasted the leader's head and upper torso apart.

Naruto grunted to himself in pain as he snapped his dislocated arm back into place. Then, he created another army of clones. Most of the clones charged off to take out the bandits, but several of them started looting any of the bodies they could find, the leader included. Naruto's sensitive ears caught the sound of combat farther inside the camp. He headed off in that direction.

* * *

><p>It had only taken <em>fifteen<em> minutes for _four_ ninja to turn a camp of _over fifty _bandits into a graveyard. Kurenai watched each of her student's closely, looking for the signs of post combat stress. She was relieved when she could only find traces of it in her students. Although, she admitted to herself, a large lack of combat stress might have been because two of her newly-blooded students were very distracted by her third student.

Naruto had given them all a shock when he had shown up _covered_ in blood. After reassuring a frantic Sakura and Hinata several times, he had simply pulled off his shirt to show he wasn't hurt. They had both promptly stopped talking, a obvious flush appearing on their faces.

Naruto grunted unhappily to himself. His shirt was probably ruined! Now what was he supposed to wear until he washed himself off? He didn't own enough clothes that he could afford to dirty and possibly ruin _two_ shirts. He sighed, resigning himself to walking around shirtless until he could find a place to wash off. He then perked up, remembering all of the weapons that he clones had gathered. He made a mental note to inventory them later.

As Team Eight entered Konoha five days later, it was obvious that they had changed. While they were in part the same team as the one that had left the leaf village ten days prior, they were also different. For they had made their first kills, marking them as _true_ ninja. Every ninja's hands are stained with blood. During the trip, team had grown much closer as the events of the mission had set in on the way back. It was obvious to everyone that Team Eight had been into the preverbal fire, and had been forged into a cohesive unit. The members of Team Eight looked forward to the future together, secure in the knowledge that each member of _their_ team was there for them.

* * *

><p><strong>To my reviewers:<strong>

SilentSambo88: I want with a more realistic version of Sarutobi taken to a logical end. He is the perfect example of a wartime leader in a peaceful era. Or at least at least semi-peaceful. He views Naruto as a failure in a way, seeing that Naruto's grades are quite poor. And as such, he felt that elevating someone who seems, on paper anyway, a much better example of a model shinobi to the world and their village's clients, was a better option. I thought carefully about Sasuke's attitude and realized that if you think about it, the Uchiha clan would have instilled a lot of clan loyalty into a young Sasuke. Taking to a logical conclusion, given what we know of the Uchiha before the massacre, it isn't a stretch have Sasuke feel superior to the average ninja. You'll catch a glimpse of what's going on in Sasuke's head this chapter.

Cuervo Blanco: I am sorry you feel that the team combination was forced. To be honest, it was to a slight extent. But by the same token, it was not. In all honesty, the Hokage couldn't put Naruto on the same team as Sasuke; given that Naruto's skills were obviously not the worst in the class. At that point, I had to make a decision: Does Naruto go with Team 7 anyway, regardless of the fact that it makes it a super specialized team? Or does he get put onto a team that grants the village _two_ teams that can perform multiple roles? Given Sarutobi's character, I felt that the second option was the more realistic one. And honestly, I originally intended for this to be a Naru/Saku story. But as the story progressed, it slowly turned into a Naruto/Sakura/Hinata story. I hope you continue reading despite that threesomes aren't your cup of tea.

Nigthmare Shadow: I feel that a slow change of personality is more realistic approach. It keeps the characters grounded and lets the readers hopefully identify with them. And here's your new chapter!

Guest: Well, you'll see the rivalry continue to heat up as both Sakura and Hinata come to terms with their feelings towards Naruto. While there isn't much rivalry in this chapter, it will cause them to come to terms with their feelings towards Naruto. And this chapter is the start of the Legend of Team 8, and soon it will become obvious to everyone just how powerful the team is. And as far as Zabuza and Haku go, it really depends on the poll. I'm not going to spoil the result, but I can say that one of the two options may allow for them to survive. I try to respond to each review, since you awesome guys take the time to review and give me feedback about the story. It's only fair that I return the favor.

Guest: Early on in the drafts for this story, I realized that every event that any of the characters experience should have an effect on them. And major events should be shown, given that they will often produce large amounts of character growth. Thus I wanted to show how far Naruto is willing to go to save his friends. And Naruto's dream shows that Naruto is very effected by his experiences, but he just tries to not show it.

Suzululu4: Exactly. While the Sharingan requires the user to at least understand how the eye works, the memory transference would basically let Naruto treat everything as a speed bump fairly quickly. And since I tend to take most things to their logical conclusion, there would be no reason for him to _not_ abuse the shadow clones.

Suzululu4:  Part of Sakura's character, at least early on, was characterized by her violent tendencies. And I could easily imagine her reacting violently towards someone who badmouthed Naruto, given the cannon explanation that she has a hard time making friends. And as far as Naruto goes, I feel that if he was treated as badly as he was in this story, he would have learned that violence tends to solve problems. I then took this to its logical conclusion, and we have Naruto's awesome tendency to punish anyone who harms his friends.

Suzululu4: I thought about Shino's abilities, and realized (although I may have completely misunderstood how his abilities work), that his bugs are more or less a part of him; as much as an arm or a leg is for someone else. So it would seem logical that Shino would use his bugs to fight, and by the time the instructors would have realized what was going on, the fight would have been over. Sarutobi is a classic example of a person ignoring evidence that doesn't fit their world view. He tells himself that he believes in all ninja, but he really only helps those who seem to be powerful in their own right. He ignores that some of the greatest ninja were not the best until someone took them under their wing. I'm sure that he doesn't do it consciously, but he had already written Naruto off as a failure. So imagine his surprise when Naruto was not a failure...he scrambled to somehow fit Naruto back into his nice world view. And you are correct, Kurenai isn't a jack of all trades. But perhaps it's better that way. For now she has to seek help from other Jonin, and they in turn will interact with Team 8. You'll see a bit of this multi-Jonin training this chapter. And as far as her teaching her students, it will also force her to learn new tactics and training so she can then pass it on to her students. And that's perhaps Team 8's greatest strength and weakness. Because they only have each other, they will grow closer and train harder to protect each other.

Animaman: Sakura's parents know, to a vague extent, about the Kyubi. Given that they never progressed beyond Genin, I could easily see them just ignoring the whispers about "the demon child". They didn't interact much with your average villager, nor did they seem to interact much with shinobi. So while they knew about the Kyubi, it was mostly just a phrase or a word to them, right up until Sakura brought Naruto home. At that point, they realized that all of the rumors about Naruto were wrong. Or that's what they believe. And you hit the nail about Hiruzen. He is stuck in denial about Naruto, wanting, or perhaps needing, to believe that the village he sacrificed so much for is still a good place. But he can't stay in denial much longer. Especially once Team 8 starts taking on more missions. And I truly wonder what will happen when he can no deny what is happening...

DASvicks63: I'm glad you are enjoying it!

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: I'm trying to establish the paring of Naruto/Sakura/Hinata to be as solid as possible. For in the end, who can we trust but those closest to us? And you're not the only one who had a lot of issues with the cannon ending of Naruto. But hopefully the ending to this story will be a bit closer to what we imagined. And as far as burning villages, make sure you torch the tallest ones first. Makes spreading the flames easer.

midnightscar17: While Ino is a great character, would take a massive departure from cannon for her to help Naruto early on. And given that this story spawned from one simple meeting, I couldn't see her beating out Hinata when it comes to Naruto. Kurenai will step up to the challenge to train her team, but she, at this present time, still has to make the final step. However, by the end of this chapter, she will have realized that she can't continue hampering their training. And as far as Team 7 joining Team 8 goes, we'll just have to see...

Lord Anubis Judge of the dead: That's what I'm trying to go for. I asked myself the question, "What if Sakura met Naruto early on in their life?" And the fic just took off from there.

tymofey: Well, I must confess that it's working out fairly well for Naruto so far...

* * *

><p><strong>So what did you guys think? Can you guess what attack Naruto used against the bandit leader? Drop a review and let me know! <strong>


	6. Chapter 6: The Crashing Wave

**You guys are awesome! Over 5,000 views and over 100 followers!**

**It looks like you guys decided for the Ice to be XX. And with that decision, massive changes to the Naruto universe are starting to be kicked off. While I can't say what will be changed, It's my hope that you guys will be able to trace several important events back to this moment.**

**Responses to the awesome reviews are at the bottom.**

**Since in both the manga and anime Zabuza was kind of a push over, given what we know of Kakashi now, I upgraded Zabuza to what he always should have been. Since technically he wasn't that good of a fighter in cannon, I'm marking this as an AU change.**

**MachFarcon does not own Naruto.**

**And without any more delay, here's Chapter 6: The Crashing Wave **

* * *

><p>Naruto awoke with a start! After he wildly looked around his surroundings, he slowly realized that he was in his own apartment, safe from the villagers that plagued his nightmarish memories. He grunted to himself, shoving the rush of memories back into the vault. Naruto grinned happily as he remembered what today was! Today was the day they got another C-Rank mission!<p>

As Naruto started his morning routine, he reflected on the changes that had occurred in the last month since Team Eight's first C-Rank mission. Kurenai-Sensei had stepped up training, teaching them new moves, combat tactics, and jutsus. Naruto could safely say he considered Kurenai-Sensei his friend. Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan had also changed to a certain extent. He wasn't sure why, but they often seemed to sit a lot closer to him now, especially if the other girl was nearby. Naruto shrugged. Perhaps they were getting cold? It was after all, getting colder as October approached.

But that was not the only thing that changed. Naruto had, quite accidentally, discovered the secret behind the Shadow Clone Technique. His clones remembered whatever their creator knew. And since a Shadow Clone could create more Shadow Clones...Naruto smirked. His clones had been spying on the ninja of the village, attempting to learn more close-combat moves and techniques. When a clone discovered something new, it would create more clones to go practice the move elsewhere. And all Naruto needed was the final clone to report back to him to teach Naruto what they learned.

And best of all, _technically_ it wasn't training, so he could do that after team training days without breaking his promise to Kurenai-Sensei. Speaking of Kurenai-Sensei, her friend, Asuma Sarutobi, had brought the team that he had been training over for a team vs. team spar once. Naruto chuckled as he heated his breakfast ramen. Team Ten, Asuma's team, had lost easily to Team Eight. Kurenai's tactics training had turned Team Eight's nearly perfect teamwork into a lethal machine.

Team Ten had some decent tactics and formations. Unfortunately, none of their formations could hope to match a close-combat expert, a lightning-using Hyuga, and a subtle ginjutsu user. Naruto's mirth faded into a frown as he remembered a moment were he almost _killed_ Shikamaru Nara, one of the Genins of Team Ten. The match had been going well for Team Eight when Shikamaru had snagged the blonde Uzumaki with his Kagemane no Jutsu. Naruto, suddenly having flashbacks to the _last_ time that exact jutsu was used against him, had blasted the shadow technique's control off of him with a massive blast of Chakra. His hand had automatically started glowing with an ominous glow without Naruto even realizing it. He had made it within _five steps_ of the Nara before the blonde managed to calm himself down. The other members of Team Eight, perhaps understanding Naruto's flashback, redoubled their efforts to take down the opposing team. Team Ten lost shortly thereafter.

The _ding_ of the microwave broke Naruto from his remembrance. It was Ramen Time!

* * *

><p>Hiruzen was sitting behind his desk casually smoking his pipe as Team Eight entered his office. He quietly sighed to himself as he saw Naruto's expression harden into an expressionless mask. He schooled his expression into a professional look as Kurenai approached.<p>

"Ah, Kurenai-San!" The Hokage greeted, "What can I do for you and your team today?"

"We request a C-Rank Mission." Kurenai's voice was cold, professional. It took all she had to not scream at the Hokage. To ask him _why_, why he let the villagers overcharge and whisper at _her_ student.

The Hokage nodded. He should have expected this. It had been exactly a month since Team Eight had their first kill mission. Eyeing the Genins for a moment, he leaned back and smiled. It seemed that there was no lingering issues with killing.

"Well," The Hokage began, "Let me see what missions I have available..." As he started to leaf though the mission requests, suddenly the door banged open!

"Hokage-Sama!" The ninja who had burst in panted, "You have a urgent message from Kakashi Hatake." He held out a small rolled up scroll to the Hokage with a bow.

"Thank-You, Natori-San." The Hokage said, before dismissing the message hawk handler. Hiruzen turned to Team Eight. "If you will excuse me for a moment."

As Hiruzen read the message on the scroll, his continence gradually grew grim. Once he had finished reading, he set the scroll down and steepled his fingers, deep in thought. After a few minutes went by, he spoke.

"It seems that Team Seven has gotten in over their heads. They received their first C-Rank mission early yesterday morning. It was a simple escort mission. However, it appears that the mission was incorrectly labeled. It is now an A-Rank mission!" He paused for a moment then he ordered, "Since you are Team Seven's official back-up team, you are going to be backing them up. You leave in one hour." He quickly wrote out a brief summary of the important information about the mission before handing it over to Kurenai. "Here is the new overview of the mission. I expect you to make all haste to the mission area."

* * *

><p>One hour later, Team Eight assembled at the East Gate. They had brought their traditional mission gear, with one exception. The two female Genins had made sure to bring a large luxury tent with them, as well as a few cups of Ramen. Naruto had brought his sleeping bag.<p>

As Team Eight sped off towards the Land of Waves, Kurenai relayed the information from the scroll she had been given. "The mission states that Team Seven was attacked by a pair of C-Rank missing-nins. After they dealt with the ninja, they discovered that the client, Tazuna, had lied about the mission level. Ignoring standard protocol, Team Seven continued on with the mission. We are to assist Team Seven in their mission. It will count as a A-Ranked mission for us in both pay and in our mission log." Kurenai glanced at her team. Their determined expressions relieved her to a certain extent. Team Eight would be fine!

Team Eight made good time on reaching the mission area. When it was nightfall, they stopped to rest for the evening. As Naruto was starting the fire, Hinata spoke up. "Naruto-Kun, did you bring a tent with you?" Her voice was a strange mixture of shyness, determination, and hopefulness.

"Huh?" Naruto answered, slightly confused. He hadn't thought about where he was sleeping yet. "Nope. I don't have a tent." He answered Hinata's strange question.

"I-In that case," Hinata's face grew steadily more and more flushed as she continued. "W-Would you like to sleep in m-my tent?" Hinata's face seemed rival the camp fire in sheer heat.

"Sure!" Naruto grinned happily. "I'd be glad to sleep in your tent Hinata-Chan!"

Hinata felt fought off the urge to faint when she heard Naruto's words. Sakura frowned. She was going to ask Naruto to sleep in _her_ tent! "Naruto, " Sakura asked with a forced casualness, "Would you like to sleep in my tent tomorrow night?" When the oblivious Naruto had agreed, She threw a smug look over to Hinata.

Hinata, not to be outdone, quickly asked if Naruto would want to _her_ tent the _following_ night. Sakura, seeing her chance, suggested that Naruto alternate between the girls tents. Naruto had agreed, figuring that the girls would get cold. He made a mental note to see about buying a three-person tent so neither Sakura-Chan or Hinata-Chan would get cold.

As Sakura watched _her_ Naruto-Kun go into _Hinata-Chan's_ tent, she suppressed the urge to run over to the tent and drag Naruto to her tent. While she knew that all Naruto-Kun would be doing was sleeping, she also remembered how nice it was to sleep in the same tent as him. During Team Eight's last mission, she had finally realized two important truths: She _liked_ Naruto-Kun! And Hinata-Chan _liked_ him too! Sakura had confronted the shy Hyuga soon after they had returned to the village. They had both agreed that while they were rivals for Naruto's affection, making sure they never made _their_ blonde choose between them is was paramount.

* * *

><p>Team Eight made the seven day trip in five. They arrived at the client's house and Kurenai knocked on the door, using one of Konoha's secret knock-patterns. After a few moments, Shino opened the door.<p>

"Kurenai-San!" Shino's monotone tone somehow portrayed his extreme relief. "We were expecting you. Kakashi-Sensei is on the second story, third room from the stairs." Kurenai thanked him and headed for the stairs, intent on finding out exactly what was going on from Team Seven's sensei. Shino turned to Naruto and asked, with a hint of curiosity, "And how is your hive doing Naruto-San?"

Naruto grinned as he entered Tazuna's home. "It's doing awesome! I've been sleeping in a tent each night!" Shino tilted his head in confusion, no doubt wondering why such a event was worth mentioning. Sakura, wanting to divert boy from thinking further into it, quickly spoke up.

"And how is your team, Shino-San?"

Shino sighed. "My team is a terrible hive. The other members of the hive tend to fight constantly for dominance. Kakashi-Sensei views this as team bonding." Shino shook his head. "It is not. The hive is slowly fracturing." He turned to look at Naruto, his voice taking on a hopeful tone. "Have you spoken with Sakura-San about a four Genin team?"

Naruto grimaced, before nodding. "Yeah. But in order to get a fourth member, it has to be _specifically _cleared by the Hokage."

Shino's shoulders drooped for a moment. "Then I guess I shall have to stay with my current hive." His tone took on a trace of bitter pessimism as he continued. "With the Hokage receiving all of Kakashi-Sensei's reports, I have no doubt that he is aware of the situation. So he if chooses to do nothing, then I am stuck within this hive."

Shino seemed to have completed his statement on his team status, and changed the subject. "You are aware of our current mission?" Seeing Team Eight nod, he continued "In that case I shall introduce you to Tazuna's family. He has a daughter and grandson. Tazuna is working on the bridge, being guarded by Kiba-San and Sasuke-San."

Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata followed Shino into the house's kitchen. Upon entering it, a pretty black-haired woman looked up from the stove. "This is Tsunami-San. She is the daughter of Tazuna." He introduced. He turned to Tsunami. "This is the team that I was telling you about. This is Naruto-San, Hinata-San, and Sakura-San." He said, pointing at each of the Genins as he introduced them.

Sakura and Hinata bowed in greeting, Hinata's bow was much more graceful then her counterpart. Naruto grinned and waved, his honest and cheerful demeanor disarming any fears Tsunami would have had. She quickly set the pan back on the stove and bowed back.

"It is nice to finally meet the team Shino-Kun was talking about! Welcome!" She bowed again. "Would you like something to eat? I don't have much, but you must be starving from your journey!" Hinata shook her head as she graciously replied, "We cannot accept your offer Tsunami-San. We have eaten already today and do not wish to trouble you. We will gladly join you for the evening meal however." Hinata's training in politics and social graces paid off once again as Tsunami nodded, content with Hinata's answer.

Naruto grinned and said happily, "Kurenai-Sensei's back!" He frowned slightly as he continued to listen. "But she doesn't seem happy." His brow scrunched slightly as he attempted to further decipher Kurenai's mood from her footsteps. "She seems...slightly mad and worried. But I don't think she is mad at us."

"Team Eight! Shino-San!" Kurenai called from the living room, "Could you come in here? We have some things to talk about!"

Shino turned to Naruto as they headed for the living room. "Your talent with your sensory organs rival that of an bug." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"Eh, I've just trained them. Gotta be able to figure out what is goin' on before I see it!" He explained, not exactly comfortable with Shino's honest evaluation of his skill. As they entered the living room, all of Naruto's embarrassment was wiped from his mind as he spied the serious expression on Kurenai's face.

"What's wrong Kurenai-Sensei?" Naruto asked, wondering how he could help her.

"Nothing is wrong per say," Kurenai began, being careful to not give the blonde _any_ indication that she was hurt or in danger. Naruto had the tendency to hurl himself between his team and whatever danger was threatening his team. Even in training. It had gotten so bad that she had stopped using thrown weapons when she was sparring with her team. After Naruto had hurled himself into a kunai that was headed for Hinata, she had realized that Naruto would happily take _any_ attack for his team. She didn't know why he was so intent on doing so, but it was a puzzle she would figure out! "I was just...discussing the events that happened in this mission." A worried look crossed her face as she continued. "Apparently, just one day ago, an A-Rank missing ninja by the name of Zabuza Momochi attacked Team Seven just before they arrived in Wave. He was intent on killing Tazuna-San. Kakaski-San was able to drive him off temporarily with the help of the rest of Team Seven, but Zabuza's partner, a person masquerading as a hunter-nin of Kiri, was able to rescue Momochi." Seeing that Team Eight didn't understand the threat that Zabuza represented, she elaborated. "Zabuza Momochi is known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist. He was a member of Kirigakure's legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He _killed_ over _one-hundred_ of his classmates _before_ he made Genin. He has a well-earned reputation for ruthlessness, cruelty, and violence." Kurenai's explanation left a cold silence in the air.

After a few moments, Naruto spoke with a thoughtful yet serious tone. "Shino. You saw Zabuza fight. What was his fighting style?"

Shino turned to the blonde, surprised at his serious tone. He had never heard such a tone from the normally exuberant Uzumaki. "Well..." He began slowly, shutting his eyes as he attempted to remember every detail, "Zabuza likes to fight while hidden in his mist. He used a jutsu, water release, to cloak the area in a dense mist. He then was able to sneak up on us, bypassing even Kiba-San's hearing. Luckily Kakashi-Sensei was able to stop him. We quickly learned that in spite of the massive blade Zabuza wields, he is able to fight dexterously with it. After a few moments of fighting, he was able to trap Kakashi-Sensei with a advanced water release technique. It functioned as a cage made of water." Shino took a deep breath, his monotone voice never changing. "Sasuke-San and I were able to come up with a plan to distract Zabuza. Kiba-San and Sasuke-San would split his attention, while my bug clone would attack him directly."

A slight inflection of pride entered Shino's tone. "The plan worked. Zabuza was utterly surprised when my insect clone collapsed on him. He was too fast for my insects to incapacitate him, but it did allow for Kakashi-Sensei to escape from the water prison technique." Shino's voice dropped back to his normal monotone. "Kakashi-Sensei was able to fight Zabuza to a standstill. However, before Kakashi-Sensei could make the kill, Zabuza's partner knocked him out with several senbon. The senbon were so accurately aimed that Zabuza was put into a death-like state. However, my insects were able to detect that Zabuza was still alive. Kakashi-Sensei fell unconscious from chakra exhaustion. We could not pursue the fake hunter-nin and also protect Tazuna-San. We regrouped at this house. Kakashi-Sensei awoke briefly to inform us that Zabuza would not be able to try again to kill Tazuna-San for a week." Shino finished, his monotone never changing as he wrapped up his recounting succinctly.

"Hmmm..." Naruto verbalized, his mind racing to come up with an effective strategy against Zabuza and his partner. The rest of Team Eight watched Naruto, knowing that he was the best one to come up with combat strategies. After several minutes passed, Naruto stopped scratching his chin in thought. "I've got a few ideas, but they will have to be tested before we use them." Naruto said, before rising to start his testing.

"Naruto-Kun!" Kurenai's voice froze him. "You aren't going out for training until tomorrow! You, and your team, have just finished a hard journey."

"But I'm not tired!"

"You can't train until after dinner." Kurenai's voice booked no argument.

Naruto suddenly grinned. "Ok!" Kurenai's eyes narrowed in suspicion at his easy acceptance of her order. What was she missing? Right after the Genins had left the room, her eyes widened as she realized it. Naruto wasn't planning on training! He was planning on having his clones train! Then he'd just copy them after dinner! She was about half-way out of the chair before she stopped. Honestly, this was probably the best she was going to get. At least this way, Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan wouldn't feel the need to train with Naruto-Kun...

* * *

><p>Soon Tsunami called for the Genin. It was dinner time! Soon after Team Eight and Shino were seated, Tazuna, Sasuke, and Kiba entered the house. When Sasuke entered the dining room, he froze for the briefest of seconds before continuing to the seat he had picked out, the one away from everyone else. Kiba sat down in his seat and barely suppressed his annoyance at having to wait for his sensei. Two minutes later, Kakashi slowly limped into the room. He settled into the closest seat to the door that had been thoughtfully left open.<p>

As the ninja started to eat, Sakura watched Naruto as he ate. She remembered how Naruto didn't really have _any_ table manners when she had met him. But over time, she had shown him how to eat with manners. He still ate quite fast, but she figured that was mostly because he wanted to get out training. Nothing got Naruto more fired up for training then if he had a clear goal to surpass. Sakura frowned to herself. Speaking of training, she needed to talk to Ino when she got back. Sakura had looked extensively at the library for books to figure out _why_ Naruto felt his obsessive need to block _every_ attack that was throw at them with his body. But she had come up with nothing. So Sakura figured she needed to ask someone who was trained in human psychology.

As Naruto finished off his plate, _another_ Naruto burst into the room! "Boss! I've got something that you'll want to hear!" Naruto took the late bite of the food, finished the glass of water, and excused himself. As he entered the living room, his clone launched into its explanation.

"So I got bored watching the other clones train and I decided to walk around." The clone's face turned grim. "And guess what? This town is super poor. They can't even buy a lot of food and clothes! I gave them all of our extra ramen, but it didn't really help that much." The clone's face screwed up in confusion. "But they _thanked_ me." The clone's confusion was mirrored on Naruto face.

"But all you did was give them the ramen right?" He questioned.

"Yeah." The clone confirmed.

"Huh." Naruto scratched his head in befuddlement, his clone unconsciously mimicking him. After they couldn't figure it out, the clone moved on with his explanation. "As we were finishing up with giving out the ramen, some thugs came up and tried to take it from us. We beat them up and took them to the forest for interrogation." The clone's face grew angry. "Turns out, there's this rich guy named Gato who's tryin' to take over the Land of Waves. He's basically starving them. He's trying to stop the bridge from being completed. If the bridge is completed, his hold on this area will be broken." Naruto now looked very angry.

"He's starving them?" He asked quietly, wanting to make sure he heard the clone correctly.

"He is." The clone confirmed. Naruto was quiet for a few moments. Then he spoke, his voice having a note of finality to it.

"Take a group of clones to the bridge. See if it would benefit from our help tomorrow. If not, see if we can figure out a way so we _can_ help."

"And once we complete the bridge?" The clone asked, it's mind already figuring out the fastest way to the bridge.

"We _kill_ Gato." Naruto answered coldly.

The clone nodded in approval of the plan before it headed out to fulfill its orders. Naruto turned around and headed back into the dining room. As he entered, he addressed Tazuna, ignoring the curious looks from the rest of the people seated at the table. "Tazuna-San. If I told you could have more workers tomorrow to help complete the bridge, would you use them?"

Tazuna looked decidedly confused. Where was this young ninja going to get more workers? He knew that these ninja had seemingly other worldly powers, but he was fairly certain they couldn't conjure more people. "Well, yes. I could use another few men. Why do you ask? Do you know how to get ten more workers?"

"How about four-hundred?" Came the shocking reply.

Tazuna choked on his drink. As he looked up to congratulate the young ninja on his joke, he saw the blonde's deadly serious face. "H-How could you get more workers?" He questioned, utterly astonished by Naruto's claim.

"You'll find out in the morning. What time do you leave for the bridge?" Naruto questioned, still maintaining his professional tone.

"About six in the morning." The still confused Tazuna answered.

"I'll make sure you get the extra workers before then." Naruto promised.

Naruto abruptly turned around and headed out to train. He only had a few hours before he had to sleep, and he wanted to make the most of them!

* * *

><p>The next morning, all of Tazuna's household was waiting for Naruto. At exactly six, Naruto walked out of the house, yawning slightly. Tazuna's shoulders drooped. He didn't know what he had expected. Ninja weren't miracle workers. As he started head towards the bridge, Naruto's confident voice stopped him in his tracks.<p>

"Hey! Don't you want the extra workers?" Tazuna turned around, preparing to yell at the young ninja for his cruel joke, the words dying in his throat as he watch Naruto bring his hands up in a cross sign. White smoke _blanketed_ the area.

There was a shocked silence as the smoke drifted away, revealing _four-hundred_ clones of the blonde. As Tazuna gazed speechless at the army of workers, he felt something stirring that he hadn't felt in a _long_ time. _Hope._

* * *

><p>As the next few days passed, it became increasingly obvious about the gap between Team Seven and Team Eight. While Team Seven had powerful clan techniques to draw upon, that was all they had. By contrast, Team Eight had little to no clan jutsus, but they had some training in all of the various types of techniques. They had elemental techniques, a solid foundation in the shinobi basics, and perhaps the most solid teamwork seen in a least several generations. With Kakashi incapacitated, Kurenai took it upon herself to train both teams. Unfortunately, it turned less into training, and more into a crash course on shinobi basics for Team Seven. They didn't even know tree climbing!<p>

Speaking of tree climbing, Naruto had explained to his team, privately, one of his new techniques. He had gotten the idea when he was first being taught tree climbing with chakra. He had originally supercharged his chakra, as per his normal response to any new technique that required chakra. The moment his foot had touched the tree base, it had blasted a massive hole in the tree, catapulting the young ninja back several feet. As Naruto gazed in stunned awe at the demolished tree, a sudden idea blossomed in his mind. The technique had been born from that idea. Sadly, it took far too much chakra to be useful in combat for the rest of the team. But Naruto was determined! He would find a way for Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan to get powerful jutsus like him!

* * *

><p>Sasuke seethed. While he had initially been all right with Team Eight on this mission, that had all changed when he had heard that they had already taken a C-Rank mission! And completed it successfully! To the Last Uchiha, it was yet <em>another<em> thing the clan-less Uzumaki had _beaten_ him in. Needless to say, Sasuke spent his days training until he could barely move. It had gotten better for him, however, once Kakashi was able to move. Kakashi, for some unknown reason, started training Sasuke alone as Kurenai trained the remaining members of Team Seven as well as her own team.

* * *

><p>On the fifth evening, during dinner, Inari, Tazuna's grandson, couldn't take Naruto's cheerful optimism anymore. "Why are you so happy?" He burst out. "You all are just going to die! No one goes against Gato and lives!" He then looked at Naruto, his eyes angry and his face spiteful, "I bet you've had it easy! I bet you don't know what suffering is like!"<p>

Naruto froze, countless emotions awakened within him by Inari's words. As he felt anger slowly winning, he abruptly stood and left the house, not wanting to be around anyone. As he ran, he felt his anger build. When he felt he had gotten a good distance from the house, he skidded to a stop. As he punched the nearest tree, he spat, with each word punctuated by a increasingly stronger punch, "So I don't know suffering, huh? I guess _starving_ wasn't suffering! I guess being _gutted_ wasn't suffering! I guess being _impaled_ wasn't suffering! I guessing _fearing_ for your _life_ every day wasn't suffering! I guess never _knowing_ your parents wasn't suffering! I guess not knowing if they _hated_ you wasn't suffering!" Naruto finished with a roar, the tree crashing into the ground in front of him!

Naruto's shoulders heaved as he took aggravated breaths. With a snarl, he brought his hands up in his signature cross hand sign. As all of his clones gazed at him with similar expressions on their faces, Naruto's hands started to glow ominously. On some unseen signal, all of the clones charged Naruto. He charged to meet them with an aggravated shout!

* * *

><p>Back at the house, Inari was quickly silenced by the two remaining members of Team Eight. Sakura had risen halfway out of her chair before she caught herself. Hinata's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't know suffering?" The Hyuga spat out, before calming herself. "Tell me, Inari, do you have loving family?"She continued calmly, but somehow her calm tone was ten times worse than when she had raised her voice. "Do you have to buy only the cheapest things because prices were raised for you? Do you have to bring all of your supplies with you so they don't get stolen or destroyed?" He relentless questions caused Inari to tear up. Hinata drove the knife home as she practically snarled, "Then you have it better then Naruto-Kun ever did!" Her final words drove Inari to run from the table, sobbing quietly.<p>

"I-Is everything you said true?" Tsunami tearfully asked, fearing the answer.

"Yes. It's probably worse then we know." Sakura answered, still having to remind herself that beating the client's family into the ground was frowned upon. Tsunami began to cry silently as her heart broke for the cheerful young man that had entered her life only a few days ago.

Sasuke didn't know what to think. On the one hand, part of him was happy something broke though Naruto's cheerful demeanor. A another portion simply didn't care. Sasuke ignored the smaller part of him that wanted to find Inari and show him what _real_ _suffering_ was like...

* * *

><p>Hinata sighed. She wished Naruto was here. Her heart ached for him, imagining the pain he must feel, knowing that Naruto never even <em>knew<em> his family. She sighed again. If she didn't know Naruto wanted to be alone right now, she would be searching for him, mission or not!

* * *

><p>Sakura grunted unhappily to herself. While she knew that Naruto most likely wanted to be alone to hit something, or many somethings as the case may be, she still wanted to find him! She was sure that this was another of the strange "Naruto Problems" thing she hadn't figured out! Sakura suddenly brightened. That was it! She could document everything she knew about Naruto so Ino could help! Sakura grabbed a piece of paper from her sealing scroll. She smiled smugly to herself. <em>"Never going to use a random piece of paper, huh? Well looks like I needed it!" <em>

* * *

><p>It was early morning when a black-haired girl in a pink sleeveless kimono entered the clearing in the forest. She let out a surprised gasp as she took in all of the devastation. Trees had been blasted apart, the ground ruptured, tens of kunai and shurikens littered the area. And in the center of it, a blonde haired boy, roughly about the age of twelve or thirteen, slept soundly, seemingly ignorant of the destruction all around him. As she got closer, she noticed several alarming details about the boy. Numerous kunai surrounded him, most of them still covered in blood. He was laying in a dried pool of blood, presumably his own. She noticed, with just only the faintest of blushes dusting her cheeks, that his shirt and pants were torn, giving glimpse of the well muscled flesh underneath. Something silver glinted beside him. She moved closer to see if she could help the hurt boy.<p>

Naruto groaned as he slowly awoke. His..._everything_ hurt! He sat up quickly, only to let out a drawn out "Whoa..." as all of the blood seemed to rush to his head. He scrunched his eyes shut as he furiously rubbed his temples, attempting to relive the pounding headache that had just appeared. As the pounding ceased, he yawned, stretching out his sore muscles that protested sleeping on the uneven ground. A shadow fell over him. He froze for the briefest of moments before he slowly looked up, flashes of distant, terrible memories threatening to break free of their confinement. A pretty girl stood ten feet from him. She didn't look angry; she looked...concerned?

Haku was concerned, and more then slightly confused. She knew, from the ample evidence, that this blonde had been very injured recently, most likely last night! But here he was, wound free. He even seemed to get over the blood-loss headache very quickly! She wondered if he was like her, a blood-line user. As he turned his confused beautiful blue eyes towards her, she detected a faint sense of _fear_ in his eyes. Such a look seemed very wrong on his face, and she quickly greeted the boy, hoping to find out what caused his look of fear.

"Hello." The black-haired woman spoke, her tone warm and welcoming. It soothed Naruto's flickering visions of old memories, and brought him firmly back into the present. Naruto tilted his head as he looked at her. She had long black hair, a pretty face, and light brown eyes. Naruto, not feeling any ill-intent from her, returned the greeting with his typical gusto.

"Hello!" Naruto grinned, "My name is Naruto! What's yours?" The black-haired girl was taken aback, surprised at his enthusiastic greeting. A moment later she found her voice, successfully suppressing the faint flush that threatened to appear at his handsome smile.

"My name is Haku." She bowed, "Nice to meet you Naruto-San!" She paused, remembering her initial worry. "Are you hurt?"

"Huh?" Naruto looked confused at her question. "Why would I be hurt?"

"You were laying in a pool of your own blood." She pointed out, now concerned that he had forgotten the attack entirely. She quickly tried to remember if she had any herbs that could help restore temporary memory loss.

"Oh! That!" Naruto remarked, now knowing what Haku was referring to. He rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "Eh, I just got carried away training last night." He explained.

Haku blinked. She eyed the glinting piece of metal on the ground next to Naruto-San. Now that she was closer, she realized that it was a ninja headband! She cut her eyes back to the blonde. He wasn't making any threatening gestures or movements. In fact, he seemed quite relaxed. A sudden thought occurred to her. "Naruto-San, is this not the first time you have awoken up in a pool of your own blood?"

"Well, the first time from training, yeah." Naruto answered, slightly confused as to why Haku-San was concerned about this.

"But you are a ninja, correct?" She persisted.

"Yep! I'm a ninja from Konoha! Along with Sakura-Chan, Hinata-Chan, and Kurenai-Sensei!" He answered proudly.

Haku tilted her head, her face gone carefully blank. She knew that some ninja villages treated those with blood-lines poorly, but she had no idea that they would deliberately hurt a young vibrant boy like Naruto-San! Her eyes narrowed. If his village was doing such a thing, there was no way the blonde's team didn't know! Which meant they were in on it! She flashed back to the terrible time when she was nearly killed, her mother's dead body beside her. They were going to kill her because of her blood-line!

Naruto noticed his new companion slowly grow angry. As she did, the temperature seemed to slowly start to drop. Not knowing what was wrong, Naruto asked earnestly, "What's wrong? Can I help you?"

Naruto's slightly deep voice broke though Haku's angry thoughts. She quickly realized that she had nearly lost control over her blood-line, if the decreased temperature was any indication. Haku quickly regained control of her blood-line, and ambient heat began to slowly effect the area again. Attempting to distract the blonde from the details of what just happened, she quickly asked, "Would you like to help me gather herbs?"

Naruto nodded vigorously. Maybe he could learn something new! As the two gathered the herbs, Haku casually asked Naruto a few questions in between explanations of the many purposes of each herb they gathered. Naruto's answers were painting a very ugly picture; it seemed that he was not treated well in Konoha, perhaps even _beaten_. She, having experienced such hate directed to herself a long time ago, vowed silently to make sure that he wasn't abused by his team again! Then she asked the question that had burned within her for a while now...

"Naruto-San, why do you train? What makes you strong?" She asked, her tone serious.

"I train to become strong to protect my precious people! So they'll never get hurt! Ever!" Naruto's impassioned voice resonated deep within the brown-eyed girl, for she existed for the same reason! She sent a quick glance over at Naruto. A faint blush stained her cheeks as she watched his face scrunch up in concentration as he carefully unearthed the next herb. As he stood back up, she quickly turned away, least he see her blush. She glanced down at her herb basket. It was very full, almost over flowing. She turned to Naruto once her blush was under control. "Naruto-San, we have gathered all of the herbs that I needed." She bowed, "I want to thank you again for helping me!"

"It's no trouble!" Naruto replied, happy to help out. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Will I see you again?"

"I hope so...Naruto-Kun." And with those parting words, Haku quickly disappeared into the forest. Naruto glanced at the sun, attempting to estimate the time he had left before dinner. He had several hours to train still! Naruto grinned to himself as he brought his hands up a familiar hand sign.

* * *

><p>Sakura worriedly glanced at the surrounding area of the bridge. She was watching Tazuna-San today, along with Hinata-Chan. Hinata had gone to use the restroom, and would be back shortly. Sakura, not for the first time today, silently cursed Inari. Why did he have to go and say those horrible things to Naruto-Kun? She hadn't seen Naruto-Kun in over <em>seventeen <em>hours!

Hinata was hurrying back to Sakura-Chan, when she noticed a mist rolling in from the water. She reflexively closed her eyes and concentrated. A moment later, she opened them, revealing her active Byakugan. As she looked towards the approaching mist, intending on seeing if there was any enemies hidden inside, she saw something infinitely more alarming instead! The _entire_ mist was laced with Chakra!

"Sakura-Chan! The approaching mist is filled with chakra!" Hinata cried out as she neared Sakura at a dead sprint. "Spike your chakra!"

"Right!" Sakura quickly spiked her chakra several times in the prearranged pattern to indicate immediate distress. She hoped that the rest of the Konoha ninjas would reach them in time...

* * *

><p>Kurenai's legs burned slightly as she skidded to a stop in front of her two students. She hadn't pushed that much chakra into her legs in a long, long time. She slid a kunai out in front of her, keeping an eye on the mist that had almost reached the bridge. Beside her, she spied Kakashi do the same, his team also dropping into combat stances. She heard the two girls behind her ready themselves. <em>"Where are you Naruto?"<em> She wondered worriedly, determinedly ignoring the part of her that was informing her off all of the terrible things that could have happened to the sunny blonde. The mist reached the bridge. The Konoha shinobi readied themselves for the coming fight.

* * *

><p>The white mist swept soundlessly onto the bridge, cloaking everything in its embrace. After a few tense moments, the Konoha ninja were able to pick-up movement in their direction. Slowly, several figures walked out of the mist to stand opposite the Konoha nin. Kakashi recognized Zabuza, the fake hunter-nin, and the two C-Rank missing nin that they had faced several days ago. He did not, however, recognize the <em>two<em> other ninjas standing alongside Zabuza. Zabuza's rough, mocking voice rang out.

"I saw that you invited some...friends to the fight, Sharingan no Kakashi. So I invited a few of my own. We wouldn't want them to get in the way of our rematch now would we?" Kakashi slowly brought his hand up to his slanted headband, sliding it up to reveal his active Sharingan. "Everyone! Leave Zabuza to me! Team up to defeat your enemies if you can!"

Haku gazed with relief at the Konoha ninja. She didn't see Naruto-Kun with them! With any luck, she could take care of them before he ever got here! She stepped forward, moving towards the two kunoichi behind the female Jonin. One of the large ninja Zabuza had brought with him charged towards the female Jonin with a cackle, his face mirroring his glee at getting the chance to fight a Konoha ninja. The two demon brothers charged at Kiba, Shino, and Sasuke, intent on getting a revenge for their defeat from before. The last two missing ninja slowly followed the demon brothers. The bridge soon dissolved into _chaos._

* * *

><p>The ninja attacking Kurenai swung his sword at her forcefully, forcing her to leap out of the way of the attack. He follow her, laughing the entire time. Haku stopped fifteen paces away from Sakura and Hinata. "I am sorry, but Zabuza-Sama has ordered your death." She apologized, before bringing a hand up in front of her. As Sakura and Hinata watched with unbelieving eyes, Haku drew upon her blood-line, crafting senbon out of <em>pure ice<em> in an instant. A second later, the senbon flashed towards the two kunoichi! Hinata and Sakura dodged out of the way, once again thankful for the extra training they did with Naruto. Sakura quickly grabbed a kunai and charged her masked opponent, Hinata following a step behind.

The battle between the three kunoichi raged fiercely for several minutes, the balance of power shifting from one side to another. Haku was more skilled then the other two, but their exceptional teamwork leant them a surprising lethality. Eventually, Sakura was able to get in a lucky cut with her kunai, and Haku knew she couldn't afford to not go all out. She leapt several feet back from Sakura and Hinata, warning them, "This is my strongest technique. Please prepare yourselves!" Haku's chakra spiked. The temperature plummeted. Snow began to fall. Then, with a sound similar to rushing water, _twenty-one _ mirrors made of ice surrounded the two Genins from Team Eight. A moment later, _all _ of them reflected Haku, seemingly housing the kunochi in each mirror. As Hinata and Sakura watched in shock, Haku formed more senbon. And then all of the reflections drew their arms back. And they _threw._

* * *

><p>As this was all happening, Naruto felt the chakra spike in the distance. <em>"Sakura-Chan! She's in trouble!" <em> He snapped his head in the direction that he had felt the chakra spike come from, and raced off. Within a few minutes of frantic running, he spotted Tazuna's house in the distance. His eyes widened as he saw two men with swords slowly advancing on Tsunami. Naruto's eyes hardened. _"Not today! Not on my watch!"_

* * *

><p>Waraji advanced on the black-haired woman. Gato had ordered him and his partner, Zori, to take out Tazuna's family. But nothing said they couldn't take their time and...enjoy the family's...hospitality first... He let out a cruel chuckle, relishing the woman's flinch. A sudden wet gurgle behind him cause him to freeze. He spun around, starting to draw his sword as he turned! He didn't have time to react before there was a <em>blur<em> and then pain erupted in his chest. He slowly looked down, and stared with stunned shock at the kunai buried in his chest. As he watched the kunai with stunned fascination, a flicker of moment caught his eye. He looked up just in time to see a kunai flash towards his head!

Naruto ignored the wet _thud_ as the second thug hit the ground, a kunai buried in the thug's skull. He summoned two clones. "Take Tsunami and Inari to someplace safe. Take the thugs' swords with you." He ordered before rushing off. The clone turned to his fellow clone and nodded towards the dead thugs. While his fellow clone was gathering up the swords, he approached the pale Tsunami. "Tsunami-San, do you have someplace to go that is safe?" He questioned, seemingly laidback despite the situation.

"Y-Yes. T-There w-we can go to a friend's h-house nearby." Tsunami stuttered, badly rattled by the traumatic events that had just occurred.

* * *

><p>Naruto rushed towards the battle, pushing more and more chakra into his legs. He ignored the dull burning sensation as he sped his way towards the bridge. In what seemed to him like a lifetime, he reached the bridge. In the distance, he spotted a massive dome of mirrors, made of...ice? He sprinted towards it when he caught a glimpse of pink.<p>

Haku looked sadly down at the two kunochi below her. They were good, she feely admitted, but they never stood a chance when she had activated her Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystal technique. Haku was simply too fast for them to dodge her attacks, and the ice mirrors were too strong to break. Seeing that the kunoichi were fighting to remain standing, she readied another barrage of senbon. She _threw_.

Sakura flinched, bringing up her arm in a fruitless gesture to protect her face as the fake hunter-nin threw a dozen senbon her direction. The sound of the senbon hitting flesh sounded out! Surprisingly, Sakura realized, she didn't feel any pain. She slowly lowered her arm. She immediate spotted the hunter-nin looking over at something to her right in shock. She glanced over, her hand coming up to her mouth in with a horrified gasp!

Haku stared at Naruto's unmoving form in stunned shock. She had aimed for the two kunoichi's non-vital areas, seeking to put them in a death-like state. But, in a blur of orange, _Naruto-Kun _ had suddenly appeared in front of the two Konoha ninja, shielding them from the senbon. He had skidded lifelessly to the side after the dozen razor sharp needles pierced his body. With mounting panic, she quickly snapped several senbon into each of the opposing kunoichi's necks, placing them in a death-like state. She rushed to the mirror closest to Naruto, praying that she wasn't too late.

A massive blast of red chakra knocked her back, she quickly flashed to a mirror on the upper section of the dome, hoping to get an idea of what was going on. Fear began to trickle down her spine as she watched Naruto slowly stand up, the senbon popping out of his wounds with soft _pings _as they healed rapidly. She watched as the whiskers on the blonde's face thickened, and his posture began to hunch; becoming vaguely reminiscent of some great predator. The dark red chakra swirled around Naruto as his nails grew into wickedly sharp claws. His muscles seemed to increase in size, and Naruto's beautiful blue eyes turned a baleful red. Then with a terrible hissing sound, the red chakra flowed back into Naruto.

_**"You killed Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan! I'm gunna kill you!"**_Naruto's snarled threat made the icy fingers of utter _fear_ wrap around Haku's spine. The killing intent of the enraged blonde practically crushed the kunoichi into the ground. A cold sweat broke out on her brow. _"W-what is he?" _She wondered in panic. Suddenly, the feral blonde's head snapped in her direction. With a sudden jolt of terror, Haku realized that Naruto could see what mirror she was _actually in!_ She barely reacted in time to flash to another mirror, as Naruto streaked towards the ice mirror. A shocked gasp of terror and surprise escaped her as she watch her unbreakable mirror shatter like glass as Naruto's fist smashed into it! She desperately dived at him from above, hoping to knock him out; hoping to fix this terrible mess she had made. She was suddenly jerked to a stop. Naruto's crushing grip on her hand preventing her from touching him! A second later, a heavy fist smashed into her mask, driving her _though_ the empty spot in her ice mirrors!

Haku slowly stood up, feeling her cracked mask slowly slide off her face. She heard all of her remaining ice mirrors _shatter_. She closed her eyes as the feral blonde charged towards her. She really was a _useless _tool after all, she reflected sadly.

**"Why?"** Naruto's heartbreaking voice asked, his red eyes reflecting rage and hurt confusion. Haku's eyes flew open. She could still fix this!

"Naruto-Kun! Listen to me! They aren't dead!" She shouted desperately, "I put them in a death-like state!"

"**You** mean **they** are **alive**?" Naruto's voice fluctuated between the dark tone and his hopeful one.

"Yes! If you take me to them, I'll heal them!" Naruto rushed over to Haku, not noticing her broken arm or bruised face. He quickly rushed the black-haired kunoichi over to his downed friends. Haku moved swiftly, quickly taking the senbon out of the two kunoichi she had hurt. As soon as she had finished with Sakura, Naruto pulled the pink-haired girl into his lap, needing to reassure himself that she was alive. As Haku finished pulling the last senbon out of Hinata, the sounds of clapping echoed over the suddenly silent bridge.

"Well well." The short business man known as Gato began. "Looks like you ninja are all tired out!" He chuckled to himself. "Luckily I wasn't planning on paying any of you anyway!" Seeing that there was several ninja still up, he turned to the small army of thugs behind him. "All right! You know the drill! You kill the ninja, and you get paid!" Spotting the fallen kunoichi in the distance, he sweetened the deal. "In fact, the people that land a killing blow get a first _go_ at the ninja girls!"

Gato's satisfied laughter was abruptly stifled as he watched the blonde ninja slowly turn his head in Gato's direction. The blonde slowly looked down at Sakura. He placed her gently on the ground. And for the first time in his life, Naruto _**hated**__._

* * *

><p><strong>To my reviewers:<strong>

RikudoNaruto1: While I can't tell you what will go on during the Chunin exams, I _can_ tell you that Orochimaru is a ruthless, cunning, and brilliant person. So he will be not following the normal "resurrect the previous hokages" plan to the letter. Instead, as events take place, he will alter his plans to best counter/take advantage of them. After this chapter, Sarutobi really won't have the option of being in denial anymore. Turning out for the better because of it is not guaranteed however. As far as Hiruzen getting what's coming to him over his treatment (or lack of it) of Naruto, don't worry. No one gets a free pass. And as Hashirama and Tobirama, you'll have to see!

Hanmac: Well, Naruto is considering buying a 3-person tent. Granted, it's because he thinks they might get cold, but...

Animaman: I can tell you I have no plan of adding Ino at this time. Granted, I originally never planned on adding Hinata either... I can tell you that everything Hiruzen is doing is out of his own volition. But he perhaps doesn't listen to the correct people. It doesn't excuse his actions, but it does explain them to a slight degree.

midnightscar17: I can safely tell you that it is not rasengan based at all. Techniqally this story is more of a Naruto/Sakura and a Naruto/Hinata story rather than a Naruto/Sakura/Hinata story. As Sakura is more of the outgoing/forceful one, you'll see more of her pushing the line with Naruto compared to Hinata. For now at least. Granted, Naruto is still oblivious as ever, but that's beside the point.

Druto: Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Animaman: Well, you'll just have to wait and see about the result of the poll. While in this chapter it will become obvious about what the poll chose, next chapter will show what happens to Haku and Zabuza. You pinpointed the issue with Hiruzen. He, perhaps mistakenly, trusts the people who give him information. Combine this with his tendency to view the world with rose-colored glasses, and you get his current behavior. However, the events from this chapter will permanently shatter those rose-colored glasses. But only time will tell if it will turn out better or worse for _both_ him and Naruto. I thought for a while about giving Naruto more elements, I even had a draft of chapter 5 that had him being dual-natured with fire and wind. But I ultimately decided that I should stick with cannon for his powers. Granted, as events start spiraling out of cannon, he may start to develop more abilities as a direct result.

bloodbrother 18: I'm glad you liked it! Here's the next chapter!

drannakka: I cannot confirm or deny that something like that may or may not be in one of the chapter drafts. I can confirm, however, that Sakura will be learning medical techniques.

skg1991: Thanks! As the events go on, several of the younger generation will start thinking for themselves, making their own decisions about Naruto. Shikamaru and Choji encountered Naruto and Team 8 for the first time this chapter, and they will start to grow closer as fellow Genin as the teams continue to interact. Knowing Shikamaru and Choji, they will get along famously with Naruto.

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Thanks! And I tried to explain Naruto's new technique he used in this chapter. If it was a confusing explanation, just let me know and I'll explain it in greater detail. And keep in mind, that was just the _first_ attempt by Naruto at creating his own techniques...(rubs hands together as he thinks about all the future carnage)

Carolyn12: I'm glad you liked it! Here's the next chapter for you to read!

Shinobi of life: Honestly, I'm not sure Sasuke would do that currently. He is currently so focused on beating Naruto and killing his brother, that he doesn't even really notice girls. Or perhaps he just ignores them. I'm not really sure at this point. But perhaps once he achieves his goal...

turtle sage: Honestly, Naruto/Sakura/Hinata is perhaps the only way this story could have worked. Naruto, as currently written, wouldn't ever choose between them. And yeah, Naruto/Hinata is cannon. While I held out hope for Naruto/Sakura, I feel that Naruto/Hinata was a good match in the end. (Unlike many of the other parings...)

* * *

><p><strong>So, how was it? Drop a review and let me know!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7: A Predator Among Men

**Here's a new chapter! To be honest, I enjoyed writing this one. It's the start of the spiral out of cannon territory, as many of the characters will change because of it.**

**I originally intended to publish this over the thanksgiving holiday, but I had to re-write portions of it due to how Kakashi wasn't turning out how I intended him to be. More on that below. This chapter has a bit of a mood swing as far as chapter mood goes, so let me know if it was too much of a swing from one direction to another. Also, since I had to create Haku's personality from pretty much just a few lines of dialog, I'm not sure if I pulled off her personality well. If some of you awesome people could let me know how I did, it would be awesome!**

**Kakashi, as far as cannon goes, is very frustrating. He on the one hand, completely ignores Naruto for the longest time. On the other, he is secretly helping him out behind the scenes. Since we aren't really given a good reason **_**why**_** he does this in cannon, I decided to make a change to his personality. I felt that he, like Hiruzen, simply goes by what he has been told. However, unlike Hiruzen, once he is confronted with the truth of Naruto's past, he will change to help Naruto. Since we technically don't know why Kakashi does what he does, I'm marking this as an AU change. **

**Reponses to your awesome reviews are at the bottom.**

**MachFarcon does not own Naruto. **

**And here's the next installment of Harold of the End: Chapter 7: A Predator Among Men**

* * *

><p>The crushing, choking presence of the terrible killing intent was what brought everything to a screeching halt. All eyes were on the Uzumaki, as a shroud of dark, blood red chakra slowly engulfed him. It slowly bubbled from his skin, forming the recognizable shape of a fox outside of his own. The blonde's hair grew spikier, his nails grew into sharp claws, his eyes began to glow a baleful red. Naruto's gums bled briefly as his teeth grew into small fangs. He hunched over onto all fours, reminding all those present of a some great animal. The dark red chakra cloak fully enveloped the blonde. The air went <em>still.<em> And suddenly, a tail, made of pure red chakra, burst from the cloak! Malicious killing intent crushed the army of thugs. And everyone knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a predator had _awakened._

As the jinchuriki slowly looked up to glare at the army of thugs, they took several steps back. Many of them lost control of their bodily functions. Several of the thugs died instantly as their weakened hearts failed them. They were the _lucky_ ones. It seemed like a moment that stretched on forever, the predator gazing at his _prey._

_"killkillkillmaimmaimmaimkillkillkill" _These thoughts echoed in Naruto's skull, whispers of death and annihilation. Naruto _obeyed_.

There was a red _blur_ and then the first thug _died_. Naruto ripped his clawed hand out of the thug's chest, blood fountaining as the human fell. Then the Uzumaki _blurred._ What happened next could only be described as a slaughter, a massacre. The thugs died as Naruto smashed, tore, pierced, and slashed his way through the mob. Blood began to flow like water, painting the scene in horrifying red. Naruto would blur from one target to the next, never making the same attack in a row. He slashed one target, opening them up from hip bone to shoulder, only to snap the next one's neck. From there, he tore off a screaming thugs arm, only to hurl the next person into several of his friends, only to savagely pounce on the entire group. The tail of the cloak was not idle. It smashed, pierced, and tore it's way though the thugs that tried to kill the _monster_ in their midst. Screams echoed across the expanse of the bridge.

Several of the thugs got in a lucky strike. But their elation at hitting the _demon_ soon faded into pure terror as they watched the wounds they inflicted heal within _seconds._ Then, they _died_ as the enraged blonde tore them apart, sometimes with their _own_ weapons. Some thugs tried to escape, but there was no running from their crimes. The glowing red tail would lash out, grab the fleeing criminal, and drag them screaming back into the massacre. Soon the remaining thugs formed a back-to-back circle. They wouldn't let the _monster_ get them! As the blonde stalked towards them, terror rose in their hearts. Horror turned their blood to ice. And then, one of them _broke._ He charged the jinchuriki, screaming incoherently. His headless body tumbled to the ground a moment later. Then, the blonde _charged._

The last thug slammed into the ground with a sloshing _thud._ Gato stared at the _demon_ that was slowly approaching him with undisguised terror. Each foot fall seemed to echo across the water, bringing new waves of fear with every step. Gato was paralyzed, horror chaining him to the ground. Naruto approached. _**"DIE!"**_ The blonde growled, his voice a predatory snarl. Gato had no chance to react before Naruto slammed his hand into the businessman's abdomen. Gato _screamed_ as the caustic red chakra began to slowly eat away inside. As Gato's screams fell into whimpers, the jinchuriki brutally ripped his hand out. Gato fell to his knees, staring numbly at the smoking hole in his stomach. Naruto grabbed the top of Gato's head, his claws slightly digging in. Gato's eyes watered as he felt the warm blood trickle down his face. The Uzumaki's hand began to _glow_. His hand _twitched._ Gato's head _exploded_.

A moment after the business man's headless body slumped over, the chakra cloak slowly receded, pulling back inside Naruto's skin. Naruto slowly became aware of the world around him. The red mist that had covered his mind faded. As the blackness swallowed him, he managed to catch one glimpse of the utter _carnage_ surrounding him.

* * *

><p>Kakashi let out a pained gasp of relief. His students had been knocked out by the sudden blast of killing intent from Naruto. He hoped they had been rendered unconscious before they could get more than a glimpse of Naruto's jinchuriki status. He clutched the bleeding wound in his stomach as he watched all of the carnage committed by the blonde with grim expression. <em>"Has the seal broke?"<em> He wondered frantically, mentally preparing himself to fight the seemingly crazed blonde. His eyes widened as he saw the eternally cheerful blonde coldly execute the business man Gato. As he watched the chakra cloak fade from Naruto, he could only watch helplessly as the blonde fell backwards, towards the blood-soaked bridge. Suddenly, at the last second, Kurenai was there, saving Naruto from splashing into the defiled ground. Kakashi let out a slightly wheezing sigh of relief. He knew that he would have been no match for Naruto with his wounds. Zabuza had been good, very good. The Jonin doubted he would have won, or even _survived,_ without his implanted Sharingan.

* * *

><p>Kurenai clutched her student to her chest, ignoring the stench of blood and gore around her. She cursed herself for taking so long in fighting her opponent. Had she been faster, Naruto wouldn't have been driven to take such <em>drastic<em> measures to keep his friends safe. She stood up, carrying the blonde in her arms. He was surprisingly light for his size. She headed towards the rest of _her_ team.

Haku watched the red-eyed woman holding Naruto approach. The woman seemed to be holding the blonde tenderly, so Haku let her approach without a fight. Haku went back to her previous job of caring for the two girls that Naruto-Kun cared so much about in an effort to expunge some of the tremendous guilt building inside. It was all her fault they were hurt like this! And if she hadn't hurt them, Naruto wouldn't have had to use that terrible chakra!

Kurenai wirily approached the black-haired girl. She recognized her as the fake hunter-nin from before, but the girl seemed to be...remorseful of her actions. After Kurenai carefully laid Naruto on the ground next to the rest of his team, making sure to keep a watchful eye on the black-haired girl, the red-eyed Jonin spoke. "I don't know what your intentions are, but thank-you for healing my team."

Haku nodded. "It was the least I could do after I caused this mess!" She shook her head sadly. "A tool shouldn't make such terrible mistakes." The ice-user suddenly gave a start. "Zabuza-Sama!" She looked around wildly, attempting to find her beloved master. Spying a familiar body in the distance, she gave a cry of worry and rushed to investigate.

* * *

><p>Zabuza chuckled to himself as he looked up at the blue sky above him. It was ironic, he mused, that he was going to die here, alone, because he ordered his tool, Haku, away from his side. He chuckled again. It seemed like the old adage, that you only realized what something meant to you after it was gone, was true after all. He sighed. Hatake good, he admitted, very good. A bit dull around the edges, but strong enough it seemed. He silently cursed Hatake's eye. That damn Sharingan made it so hard to get a good shot in. But the Uzumaki was a surprise. He had thought they had all died out years ago. Granted, the young ninja was a blonde instead of a red-head, but there could be no mistaking that chakra signature. Plus that instinct to protect at all costs was classic Uzumaki behavior. A gasp of horrified shock brought him out of his musings.<p>

"Zabuza-Sama! You're hurt!" Haku's scared and horrified voice cried. "L-Let me heal you! I-I can make you better!" The black-haired girl tried to frantically stop the flow of blood from the gaping hole in his chest. Tears spilled down her cheeks as her hands glowed a bright green, attempting to halt the inevitable.

"Stop." Zabuza's voice halted Haku's panicked ministrations. "You can't stop the inevitable. I'm dying. Nothing can change that now. Instead, _listen!"_

"O-Of c-c-course, Z-Zabuza-S-Sama!" Haku cried, attempting to stifle the flow of the tears pouring down her face. Zabuza brought a slightly shaking hand up to her tear-streaked face.

"Haku." He began, his dark voice softer then she had ever heard it, "I want you to listen to me. I was a hypocrite. All these years I spoke of the flaws of the ninja system. How they just used and abused you until you're all used up! But here I am, doing the same thing. I treated you like a _tool_, not a person!" He paused to giving a hacking cough, Haku flinching with every heave. "So what I want you to do is live your life. Live it how _you_ want to!"

"But I want to serve _you_!" Haku cried, her tears renewing their course down her pretty face. She looked so distraught and lost that Zabuza's heart, the one he believed he killed off years ago, broke.

"Look" He said awkwardly, "If you really _want_ someone to serve, then serve the Uzumaki." He struggled to lift his broken blade to his chest. Eventually succeeding, he gave another hacking cough, his eyes watering. _"It's just the dust."_ He told himself.

"Now go!" Zabuza ordered roughly, blood beginning to fill his throat. "And don't look back!" Haku heaved herself up and slowly staggered away from Zabuza, her beloved Zabuza-Sama. When she heard Zabuza gasp one last time before going silent, knees buckled. Her keening sobs of anguish echoed across the water.

* * *

><p>Kakashi kept an eye on the sobbing girl as his hands blurred in the recognizable hand signs for the mystic palm healing technique. He withheld a groan of exhaustion as he felt his already significantly exhausted chakra supplies take another drain as he healed himself. While the large cuts he had taken weren't <em>instantly <em>life threatening, they decreased his level of combat readiness significantly enough that it was worth the extra risk of using chakra to heal it. Once he finished healing himself, he risked a quick glance back at his team of students. They all seemed to be fine, but he sure that they, or at least Shino, would have some very difficult questions for him soon enough. He quietly bemoaned the fact that he hadn't gotten a Genin that would just accept everything on good faith.

A quick look to him that Kurenai's female ninja, Hanuro-San and Hyuga-San, had awoken up. It appeared that the female Jonin was having quite a bit of trouble with convincing them that Naruto was fine. He felt his mouth twitch into a bittersweet smile as he was reminded of _his_ Genin team, a long, long time ago. He felt his mood take a downturn as he remember what happened to _his_ Genin team. He sighed and resumed his vigil on the ice user. He knew firsthand how lethal a situation could be if someone panicked.

* * *

><p>Naruto slowly became aware of water. He was laying it. His eyes snapped open as he bolted awake. He looked around, carefully listening for any dangerous sounds. It appeared that he was in some kind of sewer. Pipes ran along the walls, pumping some pulsing liquid around the sewer. <em>"How did I get here?"<em> He wondered. Naruto slowly stood and wondered over to the pipes to investigate them. There were two pipes on the wall. One blue, the other red. The blue pipe glowed with a welcoming glow, somehow feeling...like a well-worn pair of shoes. It was comfortable, feeling like a calm day after training.

By contrast, the red pipe felt like raw power; like nothing was impossible; no feat too great. But beneath that, lurked danger. It contained the deepest _malice_ he had ever felt. If the blue pipe felt like a pair of shoes, then the red felt like the sharpest knife. It was simultaneously alluring and terrifying.

Naruto slowly backed away from the pipes and continued to look around. The massive sewer seemed to stretch on infinitely in both directions. With nothing better to do, Naruto picked a direction with a shrug and headed off. After traveling for what seemed like a lifetime, he spied a opening in the distance. Having grown tired of the endless sewers, Naruto headed towards the opening. It suddenly opened up into a massive cavern. Craning his head after he entered, he could barely see the ceiling way above him. He became aware of a massive cage on the far end of the cavern. So massive, in fact, that Naruto had no idea how he had missed it when he had first arrived. He slowly approached the cage door.

As Naruto grew closer, he quickly realized that the cage didn't have a lock on it. Instead, the two massive doors seemed to be held by some large paper with seals on it. Naruto took another step forward to look closer at the seal. A giant eye _opened_ inside the cage. A rumbling deep chuckle echoed throughout the chamber, as if the largest lungs Naruto could ever conceive of had found something amusing. Naruto took a step back as the eye moved upwards, as if the massive creature that was the eye's owner was slowly standing up. Then, the creature walked forward. And Naruto Uzumaki was the first person to behold the Kyubi no Yoko in _twelve_ years.

"**So my container finally manages to find his way to me."** The Kyubi stated, it's voice booming throughout the chamber.

Naruto stood his ground. "So you're the Kyubi, huh?" He said, craning his head upwards to look at the fox's face. "Well, what do you want? Why am I here?" Naruto called up at the giant fox.

The Kyubi chuckled. "**Ah. So curious as always. But to answer your question, you are here because you fell unconscious after you experienced a massive surge of my chakra. You called upon my chakra when you wanted to kill all of those...humans."** The Kyubi made no effort to hide it's disgust for the thugs.

"So I killed them all?" Naruto questioned. The fight was slightly blurry, and he wasn't sure he had _gotten_ them all...

**"Yes. You destroyed them all. " ** The fox confirmed. **"Do you feel bad about killing them."** The Kyubi half-asked, half-stated.

Naruto looked down, slowly shifting though his feelings on the matter. "No." He finally answered. "They wanted to _hurt_ my friends. My precious people." He looked back up at the Kyubi. "And I'll _**kill**_ anyone who tries to hurt them!"

**"Heh heh heh."** The Kyubi chuckled, Naruto's declaration reminding it of something else, someone else. The memory was just out of reach. The fox shrugged. It could figure it out later. **"While you are in here, I am making some...modifications to you."** Naruto's eyes widened. **"Don't worry. It's nothing bad or too noticeable. I'm just slightly increasing your healing rate and your senses. And also..."** It paused, letting the tension build, **"You now have night vision!"**

"Wow!" Naruto breathed, thinking of all of the new ways he could train now. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Why are you doing this?"

**"It's quite simple. When one day, when your little ninja village goes one step too far, you'll need the extra power to **_**kill them all.**_**" **The Kyubi chuckled darkly. **"And I'll have a front row seat to watch it all!"** It let out another dark chuckle before turning serious. **"And you can use it to train and protect your friends. Especially the Hinata-girl and the Sakura-girl." **Seeing Naruto's nod, it continued. **"However, since I all I have to work with is the left over chakra from when you drew on it. So I have to keep it low key, to avoid that grey haired...ninja from finding the changes I'm making. If I am interrupted, it could end...badly. For you. And him. But I don't care about him."**

"So I just...wait?" Naruto questioned, not being happy at being stuck inside his own mind when he could be doing better things. The Kyubi nodded. Naruto, for a lack of anything better to do, started training. He carefully ignored the face that training in here really wouldn't actually benefit him.

* * *

><p>Sakura turned over again in her bed. She gave an annoyed huff. Falling to sleep wasn't easy tonight. Not with her best friend laying unconscious in the next room. And especially since Haku had declared herself a servant of Naruto's... Sakura remembered the conversation that had taken place only a few hours ago...<p>

_Haku eventually stopped crying, her sobs petering out into choked gasps. She took a few deep breathes. She slowly stood up, being careful to not look back. It was Zabuza-Sama's last request...Haku fought back the fresh wave of tears that threatened to erupt. She wiped her face. It was time to find her new master._

_Sakura hovered over Kurenai's shoulder as she examined Naruto. Part of her was curious about the technique Kurenai had used to check on the blonde, but that part was suppressed by her overwhelming worry for Naruto. "He's going to be fine." Kurenai finally decided. "He's just exhausted. He just needs rest." Sakura and Hinata made no effort to hide their sighs of immense relief. As the Jonin took the unconscious blonde up to his room, the sound of the front door opening peaked their attention. Sakura and Hinata turned around, only to instantly drop into combat stances. It was the ice girl who had hurt Naruto!_

_"Please!" The black-haired girl spoke, raising her hands, looking both lost and determined, "I mean you no harm!"_

_"Yeah right!" Sakura shot back, determined to not let Naruto-Kun be hurt again. "Why should I believe you? You attacked us, and hurt Naruto-Kun!"_

_"I am very sorry for attacking you," The girl replied, looking very remorseful. "And I never meant to hurt Naruto-Sama! He dove in the way of the attack meant to disable you!"_

_"Naruto-Sama?" Sakura questioned, a funny feeling boiling in her stomach, "Why do you call him Naruto-Sama?" _

_" Because he is my new master." Came the girl's reply, her tone indicating her complete acceptance of her role. Sakura's mouth dropped open in shock at the girl's words. _

_"What is your name?" Hinata spoke up, keeping her tone professional. Hinata, unlike Sakura, was well aware of what the black-haired girl had just declared. _

_"My name is Haku." She replied. After a moment, she implored, "Please! Just let me see Naruto-Sama! I need to know he is all right!" _

_Hinata and Sakura shared a glance. "All right. You can see Naruto-Kun." As Haku's face lit up, Sakura quickly added, "But you have to disarm yourself first. And it's only a quick look! Then you have to stay down here, under watch, until Naruto-Kun wakes up!"_

_Haku nodded. She would agree to do almost anything to see Naruto-Sama. She quickly disarmed herself of the few senbon and supplies she had. Sakura marched her up the stairs, being careful to watch for any sudden movements. When Haku passed a confused Kurenai, she looked over to Hinata, who mouthed "I'll explain later." Kurenai nodded, and continued down the stairs. _

_Sakura led Haku to Naruto's room. As Haku carefully opened the door, she spotted Naruto laying in the bed. "Naruto-Sama." She whispered in an almost reverent tone. Sakura's and Hinata's eyes narrowed at her tone. Even if Haku didn't want to hurt _their_ Naruto-Kun, her tone was far too familiar for their liking. _

_Haku analyzed her Naruto-Sama. He was all right! She let out a sigh of relief. She turned to Naruto-Sama's precious people. "Thank-you for letting me see Naruto-Sama." She bowed in thanks. "Where would you like me to stay until Naruto-Sama wakes?" _

Sakura abruptly sat up. _"I'll just check on him real quick! Then I'll go back to bed and sleep!"_ She reasoned to herself. Sneaking over to the door's entrance with all of the fabled ninja stealth she had been trained in, Sakura cracked the door open and peeked out. The way seemed clear.

She carefully opened the door, being mindful to do it with exaggerated slowness, and slipped out. She quickly moved to Naruto's door, keeping an eye on the handle. It wouldn't do for him to wake up and open it! As she drew up next to the door, she suddenly became aware of the presence of someone _else_ moving closer to her. Sakura, with her heart suddenly thundering, snapped her head in the direction of the person in question. _Hinata-Chan_ stood few feet away, seemingly surprised to see Sakura as she was to see her.

"What are you doing?" Sakura hissed quietly, taking extra care to keep her voice down.

"I'm here to check on Naruto-Kun!" Hinata shot back, also taking care to keep her voice down. "Why are _you_ here?"

"I'm here to check on Naruto-Kun too!" Sakura said defensively. She paused then forcefully decided, "Well, I'm still going to check on Naruto-Kun!" And with that, she quickly, but quietly, turned the door handle. It turned with an almost soundless rasping noise. Sakura eased the door open and stepped into the room. She was vaguely aware of Hinata moving into the room behind her, as she moved to Naruto's bedside.

It would have seemed that Naruto was sleeping peacefully, had it not been for the slight paleness of his skin. As Sakura looked down at the boy she felt great affection for, she honestly couldn't remember _why_ she had to go back into her room to sleep. There was two chairs in the room, and the both seemed quite comfortable...Even more so, Sakura decided, when you placed the chair next to the bedside. The slight scraping sounds told her that Hinata had the same idea. As Sakura watched Naruto shift slightly in his unconscious state, she felt the overwhelming urge to lay her head down. _"It'll be only a minute."_ Sakura assured herself as she laid her head onto the side of the bed. She became instantly aware of the comforting heat produced by the blonde. Her eyelids grew impossibly heavy...

* * *

><p>Kakashi ghosted into Naruto's room. He paused as he observed the two girls latched onto the blonde's legs. He successfully supressed the perverted giggle that threatened to erupt when he spied how close they were clutching Naruto's leg. He shook his head. Now was not the time to wonder if the blonde Uzumaki would be recreating any scenes in <em>Icha Icha.<em> He resumed his silent movement over to the bed. He quickly lifted Naruto's shirt, hyperaware of how exactly this would look to anyone who looked in the room. He quickly glanced down at the seal on Naruto's stomach. While he freely admitted that he wasn't a seal-master by any means, he _did_ know enough about seals to know that the fourth's seal was intact. He started to lower the shirt once again when a scar located on very bottom of Naruto's stomach caught his eye. He leaned closer to examine it.

_"Kunai wound. Looks to be a few years old. It's a straight cut, so it couldn't have been gained while training. So then how did he get it?"_ Kakashi dropped the shirt out of shock when he suddenly remembered the report of when Naruto had been hospitalized because of a 'training accident'. All of the pieces fell into place with horrifying clarity. Naruto hadn't had a training accident. He had been _tortured._ In the village. Kakashi felt rage start to bubble up inside. He ruthlessly suppressed it. He resolved to talk to Kurenai in the morning. Kakashi owed Naruto's parents far, far too much to let their son be hurt without reprisal. Kakashi ghosted back out of the room, only to pause at the threshold. He glanced back at the two girls. They had forgotten to bring any sort of blanket with them. He felt a slight smile twitch at his lips.

* * *

><p>Naruto gradually awoke. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings, he felt something soft wrapped around each leg. He slowly opened his eyes to avoid startling whatever was holding onto him. He glanced down, only to pause in befuddlement. Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan were sleeping in chairs beside the bed. Each had chosen a side of the bed. They had wrapped their arms around his leg in their sleep. Naruto considered why they were here. <em>"Perhaps their blankets weren't warm enough?"<em> He wondered, spying a blanket wrapped around them. Naruto glanced out the window, only to suppress a gasp of surprise. It was still dark outside. But he could see just fine. _"Thanks, Kyubi!"_ He grinned. "_He could do so much more training now!"_

Naruto's grin faded as he realized his predicament. He couldn't go train with Sakura and Hinata wrapped around him. But he wouldn't, couldn't, dream of awakening them from their sleep. He scrunched his forehead up in thought, discarding several ideas before finding one that he deemed the most likely to succeed. Naruto carefully brought his hands up in the cross-sign, concentrating with all his might in creating just _one_ clone. An almost silent _poof_ noise heralded the arrival of the clone. Sakura shifted in her sleep, tightening her grip on Naruto's leg. Naruto and his clone held their breath, not daring to move. After what seemed like hours, Sakura's breath evened out in sleep once again.

Naruto nodded to his clone. His clone nodded back. Naruto quickly replaced himself with his clone using the replacement technique. Both the clone and Naruto carefully watched the girls for signs of awakening. But they slept on, oblivious, to both Naruto's and his clone's relief. Naruto snuck over to the window and stealthily opened it. He slipped out to train. The clone Naruto carefully leaned back and settled in to sleep. He was, after all, supposed to be sleeping anyway...

* * *

><p>Naruto later that morning strolled into Tazuna's house. He estimated it was about eight or nine in the morning. As he walked into the living room, he suddenly stopped when he spotted someone familiar. "Haku-Chan!" He happily greeted, "I didn't expect to see you after the bridge!"<p>

"Naruto-Sama!" Haku quickly moved over to the happy blonde. "I, Sakura-San, and Hinata-San were worried when your clone said you were out training! What if you weren't fully recovered?" Her eyes filled with worried tears, "I couldn't bear it something happened to you too, Naruto-Sama!"

Naruto blinked. _"Naruto-Sama?"_ "Haku-Chan, what do you mean when you say 'Naruto-Sama'?" The completely confused blonde asked.

"I have chosen you as my new master, Naruto-Sama!" Haku sounded slightly desperate, as if this moment was one of the most important moments in her life. Naruto was still befuddled.

He voiced his confusion. "But why _me?_ There are a lot stronger people then me. And more skilled." He just didn't understand. Why _him?_

Haku's bottom lip trembled as she desperately tried to convince the blonde why he was the one she had chosen. "Naruto-Sama! I chose you because you believe in getting strong for your precious people! And you protect them!" Tears spilled down her face as she begged Naruto, "Please! Just let me serve you! That's what _tools_ do! Please!"

Naruto, not knowing how to deal with a crying girl in the slightest, agreed. "All right! I'll be your master if you will stop crying!" He awkwardly patted Haku's shoulder, attempting to comfort her as she slowly stopped crying. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Haku-Chan, where are you going to stay when we get back to Konoha?"

"With Naruto-Sama of course." Came the matter-of-fact reply.

"WHAT!" Sakura shouted, as she came into the room, having just heard Haku's reply. "You're a girl! You can't stay with him!" It was practically unthinkable to her, that this...girl, Haku, would stay with Naruto-Kun before her!

"I am Naruto-Sama's servent. Where else would I stay?" Haku turned to question the pink-haired girl, "I am not part of your shinobi. I haven't ever been a ninja of a village before, so I'm a civilian."

Sakura made a scoffing sound, putting her hands on her hips. "Yeah right! You can't have been that good without _some_ training from a ninja village." Haku mirrored Sakura's stance.

"On the contrary, Sakura-San, my former master, Zabuza-Sama, was an excellent teacher." Her eyes hardened. "Were it not for the fact that you are on _Naruto-Sama's_ team, I wouldn't even be considering giving you _Zabuza-Sama's_ water technique scrolls!"

Naruto glanced between the two girls. They had originally been talking about Haku-Chan staying in his apartment, but now they were talking about training. Or that's what he guessed what they were talking about. The conversation was a little bit hard to understand.

"_Naruto-Kun_," Sakura turned to the blonde, "How many bedrooms do you have in your apartment?"

"Just one." The still confused blonde replied. Sakura sent a triumphant look at Haku. "See! You can't stay there! There's only one bed!" Sakura's triumph only lasted for a moment before she realized the potential implications of having only one bed for two people...

"W-What I mean..." She stammered, her cheeks flaring up with heat at the thought of being alone with Naruto in the same bed, "I-I m-mean it's just not proper!"

"Perhaps Naruto-Kun could get a bigger apartment?" Kurenai's voice interjected, having been drawn into the room by all the noise. She had an amused smile on her face as she had watched the drama unfold. "Naruto-Kun," She spoke, gaining the blonde's attention, "Would it be possible for you to get a bigger apartment?"

"Hmmm..." Naruto thought out loud, "Maybe. It would depend on how much my rent would be. And if it changes depending on what missions I take."

Kurenai blinked, puzzled. "What do you mean by 'your rent changes depending on what missions you take'?"

"Well," Naruto explained, "Ever since I took that C-Ranked mission last month, my rent raised by a lot. So I don't really have any extra money." His tone indicated that he didn't see why it was so odd that his rent amount fluctuated.

Kurenai's eyes widened as she realized the implications of Naruto's statement. She quickly grew angry, not noticing that Sakura, Hinata, and Haku were also growing angry as they too realized what Naruto's statement meant. "Naruto-Kun." Kurenai's voice not betraying any of her outrage, "When we get back to Konoha, I'll _personally_ help you find a better place to live."

"Kurenai-Sensei," Hinata spoke up, her voice was a cold, controlled tone. "There is a place on the Hyuga grounds that would work suitably for Naruto-Kun's needs. I believe that it has several bedrooms among other rooms."

Kurenai sent a sly, teasing smirk at the Hyuga. "Perhaps _four_ bedrooms?"

"Perhaps." Hinata allowed, the faintest of blushes dusting her cheeks. "But I shall have to talk to my father about it." Her demeanor visibly shrank as she considered talking to her father. Naruto's eyes narrowed as a ghost of a thought occurred to him.

"Hinata-Chan," He began carefully, not wanting to make Hinata-Chan cry, "Is your _father_ the one who told you that you were _weak?"_

Hinata froze. She didn't want to answer the question, but she could never deny _her_ Naruto-Kun anything. "Y-Yes." She whispered out, ashamed.

"Then I'm going to have a...talk with your _father._" Naruto's voice was eerily calm.

"Naruto-Kun," Kurenai began carefully, "Are you sure that's wise? Hinata-Chan's father is the _head_ of the Hyuga clan!"

"Oh I know." Naruto replied, his tone still calm, "And that's what I'm counting on. You see," A smirk slowly began to play on his lips, "They can see chakra. And I have a _particularly _special chakra."

Kurenai shook her head helplessly. She couldn't stop Naruto from this course, nor did he seem to be dissuadable. Naruto's smirk slowly vanished as his happy, carefree nature slowly came back. "So don't worry! I'll take care of it!" Naruto grinned.

* * *

><p>It was just over a week later when the two teams from Konoha prepared to leave the village. Naruto had used his shadow clone technique to create a veritable army of clones to speed the bridge process along. Without having to worry about keeping Chakra in reserve, Naruto had been able to create over a <em>thousand<em> clones to aid in the effort.

With so many workers, the bridge was completed within _six_ days. On the seventh day, the ninja prepared to head out. As the Konoha nin left the area, the citizens of Wave lined the streets to wish them thankful good-byes. Never had Sakura and Hinata been so thankful for Naruto's obliviousness as several girls and women made suggestive offers to the blonde as he passed. Thankfully, they soon left the village and headed back the way they came. Kakashi, perhaps sensing his team's mood, suggested that the two teams go their separate ways back towards Konoha. Kurenai had almost instantly accepted.

* * *

><p>Six days later Team Eight arrived back in Konoha. The team quickly split up. Kurenai headed to the Hokage's tower to give her report, Sakura headed to see her parents, Naruto and Hinata headed towards the Hyuga compound. Haku had informed the group that she was going to buy supplies and food for Naruto's <em>new<em> apartment. When Naruto had protested, she had calmly informed him that she would do her part for the new place. Naruto, not seeing a fault in her logic, had eventually relented.

The large gates of the Hyuga compound loomed over the pair of Genins. The two gate guards bowed to Hinata as she passed. They had attempted to stop Naruto from entering the compound, but a few strong words from Hinata had stayed their hands. As Naruto and Hinata searched for Hinata's father, Hiashi, they were told that he was in a meeting with the Hyuga elder council.

"Good." Naruto replied, the calm slipping back into his voice. He turned to Hinata and requested, "Hinata-Chan, please stay here. I have to talk to the Hyuga elders alone." Hinata opened her mouth to protest, before she closed it and nodded, choosing to _believe _in her Naruto-Kun.

Hiashi Hyuga resisted the urge to rub his temples as the Hyuga elders debated on some trivial issue. He withheld a sigh. Hinata, his daughter, was supposed to arrive today. While he had dismissed her as weak and unworthy of becoming the future head of the clan, he was starting to wonder if he shouldn't have dismissed her so quickly. She had grown considerably in the last two months. He grimaced to himself as he imagined the elders reactions if they knew that his daughter used non-Hyuga techniques. The sudden crash as the door to the meeting room slammed open startled him. He looked up to see the Uzumaki boy standing in the doorway with a expressionless face.

"Who are you _boy_?" One of the elders questioned, his tone conveying his thought of Naruto's clan-less status.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto stated in an eerily calm tone, "And you are all going to listen to me." The flabbergasted silence allowed Naruto to stalk into the center of the room. "Now, " His voice gaining their attention once more, "Turn on your Byakugan!"

"Who are you to tell us anything?" One of the elders spat, he started to rise to call a guard when Naruto's killing intent froze the occupants of the room.

"I won't ask again." Something in Naruto's voice made disobeying his order seem impossible."Turn on your Byakugan!" Seeing the council close their eyes to activate their bloodline, Naruto closed his eyes and focused on bringing that _other_ chakra to the surface. He idly wondered what the seal looked like to the all seeing eye of the Hyuga...

A startled gasp from the head elder told him that they had seen the Kyubi's chakra. "You're using the demon fox's chakra! But you didn't have it before!" The elder paled as he realized, "T-Then that must mean you are a..." Naruto's cold smirk confirmed their fears.

"Now listen to me." Naruto's cold voice took on a slightly deadly edge. "I don't care what you think about me. But Hinata-Chan is my friend! And I will not allow _anyone_ to hurt her." The stunned silence Naruto left in his wake as he exited the meeting room was almost stifling.

After a what seemed like a lifetime, one of the elders broke the silence. "So the Uzumaki is a jinchuriki. I would have never guessed this!" He paused, looking over at the other elders. "What should we do? A jinchuriki is said to be a powerful ally or a terrifying enemy." He didn't need to say that the Hyuga could ill-afford provoking such a opponent.

"Perhaps," One of the other elders started slowly, "We could use this to our advantage. No other clan seems to know of the Uzumaki's status. If we could somehow tie the jinchuriki to the clan..." The other elders looked thoughtful before the head elder spoke to a concerned Hiashi. "Hiashi, it seems that your daughter, Hinata, is close to the Uzumaki. I believe she should be encouraged to spend more time with him."

Hiashi nodded. "It seems that we were misled by the village. I will do my part in making amends with the Uzumaki. I will speak to my daughter." Hiashi rose to find his daughter.

"Hiashi." One of the elders reminded. "Remember the jinchuriki's words! Do not allow yourself to be harsh towards Hinata! We _cannot_ afford to anger the Uzumaki!"

Hiashi bowed to the elder council and headed off to find his oldest daughter. They had much to talk about...

* * *

><p>As he neared the location he had been informed Hinata was waiting at, he soon heard two raised voices. One he recognized was Ko Hyuga, Hinata's guard. The other, Hiashi realized with surprise, was Hinata. As he neared the two, he made out Hinata's outraged words.<p>

"...And you _dare_ to stand here and say that I should stay away from Naruto-Kun? Just because of rumors you heard from the foolish villagers? You know _nothing_!" Hinata's raised tone was simultaneously angry and condescending.

"That's enough Hinata." Hiashi spoke firmly as he walked up to the pair. He turned to address the stunned guard opposite Hinata. "Ko. Go see the elders. Tell them I sent you to learn the Uzumaki's secret." Ko quickly bowed and left, not wanting to be near the still angered Hinata.

"Hinata." Hiashi began, skillfully keeping any emotion out of his tone, "It has come to the attention of the elder council and I that we were misled when it comes to the Uzumaki. We now know the truth." Seeing he had his daughters undivided attention, he continued. "We now know that Naruto Uzumaki is the jinchuriki of the Kyubi. And as such, we wish to help him however we can."

Hinata's eyes narrowed. _"How dare they try to manipulate Naruto-Kun!"_ As she opened her mouth to lambast her father, a sudden thought occurred to her. What if she used this to help Naruto-Kun? "Father," Hinata spoke after a few moments, "I have a request. Naruto-Kun has recently obtained a servant. And since he does not have enough room for two people to live at his current apartment, I formally request that he be allowed to use the abandoned house outside of the compound. " Seeing Hiashi agree, she forged on. "Naruto-Kun requested that his rates do not change depending on what mission he completes."

"What do you mean?" Hiashi questioned, not understanding what his daughter meant.

"Naruto-Kun said that his rates fluctuate depending on what mission he goes on." Hinata hid a satisfied smirk as she watched Hiashi's eyes widen as he realized what her statement implied.

"Daughter," Hiashi began, his tone having traces of eagerness, "I shall get the keys to the house. Wait here for me." Hiashi moved to get the keys with as much speed as his station allowed. Had he looked back, he would have seen Hinata's the calculating look as she considered how to further use her clan to help _her_ Naruto-Kun.

* * *

><p>"Mom!" Sakura shouted as she opened the door, "I'm home!"<p>

"Sakura!" Mebuki called back, "I'm in the kitchen! Come in and tell me how your mission went!" Sakura quickly moved to the kitchen. After Sakura was seated at the small kitchen table, Mebuki set a freshly baked dumpling in front of her daughter. As Sakura finished with the delicious treat, Mebuki requested, "Now, tell me all about your mission!"

Taking a deep breath, Sakura began the recounting of the mission. It was well into the evening before she finished. Mebuki wrapped Sakura in a warm hug. "I'm so proud of you! You fought someone more powerful then you, but you didn't leave your teammate! You stayed and fought alongside your team!" She exclaimed proudly.

"But mom!" Sakura sadly refuted, "I _lost_!"

"That doesn't matter dear." Mebuki replied firmly. "What matters is that you tried your absolute best, and that you came home safe!" After watching Sakura carefully to make sure she understood, she stood up, and casually asked, "So Naruto-Kun huh?"

She spied Sakura's cheeks light up in a fierce blush. "M-Mom!" Sakura stammered, "It's nothing like that!"

Mebuki raised her eyebrow. "Oh really? Then why are you blushing?" Sakura muttered something inaudible. "I'm sorry dear. You need to speak up! I can't hear you!" Mebuki said in a sing-song voice, clearly enjoying her daughters discomfort.

"Fine!" Sakura burst out, "I said I _like_ Naruto-Kun!"

"Like or like _like_?" Mebuki questioned.

Sakura blushed again. "Like _like."_ Mebuki grinned.

"I was wondering when you would figure it out dear."

"You knew?" A shocked Sakura asked.

"Dear, everyone except Naruto-Kun knows." Mebuki giggled slightly as she watched her daughter cover her face with a groan. "Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?"

Sakura lifted her head hesitantly. "Well, since you asked...I was thinking maybe I could...moveinwithNaruto-Kunasafriendsthing?" She finished in a rush.

Mebuki blinked. "I'm sorry. Could you repeat that slower?"

Sakura's cheeks flared again. "Could I move in with Naruto-Kun as a friends thing?" Seeing her mother open her mouth, she quickly added, "We'll have separate rooms. Naruto is moving to a bigger house!"

"I'll have to talk to your father about this." Mebuki answered after a few minutes of thought.

"Really?" Sakura questioned, surprised that her mother was even open to the idea.

Mebuki nodded. "This is important to your dear, so it is important to us too." Sakura felt a hopeful smile cross her face. She might be able to be closer to Naruto-Kun soon!

* * *

><p>"Is your report correct?" The Hokage of Konoha questioned Kakashi. The grey haired ninja nodded. The Hokage leaned his chair back in thought. After a few moments of silence, he asked Kakashi, "Do you believe this...Haku is a threat to the village?" Kakashi shook his head.<p>

"Haku-San isn't a threat to anyone who follows the village's code." Kakashi answered carefully, before adding, "She expressed interest in staying a civilian. All she wants to do is serve Naruto." He added, his calculated words successfully distracting Hiruzen. Hizuzen giggled slightly to himself in a perverted manner as he imagined how pretty black-haired girl might...serve Naruto...

The Hokage shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "When Naruto succumbed to the demon fox's chakra, he only attacked the thugs correct?" Kakashi nodded. "And would you say that he stopped using the demon fox's cloak after he ran out of enemies, or would you say it was because he couldn't handle the strain?"

Inside Kakashi there was a war going on. The Jonin Hatake wanted to reply that the jinchuriki couldn't handle the strain. While Kakashi, the man with so many regrets, wanted to reply that Naruto had run out of enemies. After a moment of quiet, Kakashi spoke. "Naruto ran out of threats. He stopped using the Kyubi's chakra at that point without issue."

The Hokage nodded. "That will be all, Jonin Kakashi. Please send in Jonin Kurenai." Kakashi bowed before heading to the door. As he indicated to Kurenai that she was requested, he reflected that his heart was a little lighter, as if the heavy burden on it was lessened with his careful lie. _"Not a lie."_ He mentally corrected himself, _"It was just the truth worded differently. Naruto never was in danger of releasing the Kyubi." _ Kakashi nodded to himself before his eyes hardened. He had several shop workers he needed to...speak to about their treatment of Naruto...

* * *

><p>As Hiruzen listened to Kurenai's report, he wondered if he somehow had went wrong all those years ago. <em>"Naruto grew up into a fine ninja."<em> He justified to himself. After Kurenai finished, he asked, "So do you believe Naruto is a danger to our village?"

"Permission to speak freely?" Kurenai requested.

"Granted."

"Naruto isn't a danger to anyone who doesn't attack his friends." Kurenai began, her voice becoming more passionate as she continued, "But not for the village's lack of trying! The village has tried to starve him! They raised prices so he couldn't buy the supplies he needed! They overcharge him for everything! They even change the rates of his rent so he can't save money! And I'll bet that they have done even worse!" Kurenai angrily reported.

Hiruzen was startled. "Surely it isn't _that_ bad!" He attempted to deny Kurenai's claims. But the female Jonin would have none of it.

"If you don't see what's happening in _your_ village, perhaps you don't want to look?" With those sobering words, Kurenai left, leaving the stunned Hokage behind her. After a few timeless moments, Hiruzen sighed. He wondered if he was wrong to leave Naruto to fend for himself. _"No. The village couldn't have been as bad as Kurenai-San thinks."_ Hiruzen decided. But still...it wouldn't hurt to have her claims looked into would it?

* * *

><p><strong>To my reviewers:<strong>

Cuervo Blanco: You are correct. Naruto does have several deep psychological issues. Naruto doesn't have any self-worth. He has self-preservation instincts as well as a bit of self esteem, but he doesn't really have any self-worth. And as such, he views himself as disposable when compared to those he deems "precious people". His lack of self-worth is partially responsible for his obliviousness. He simply can't even begin to imagine that someone would want him in that way. It's going to be a long, hard road for those who care about him to help him out. And you may be right. It's possible that this threesome won't work out in the end. I haven't made the pairing(s) official yet, so It's completely possible that he will only end up with one.

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: I'm glad you enjoyed Naruto's move! It's a different type of damage vs. the rasengan, (concussive vs. drilling) so the rasengan will be still useful later. And I'm always open to read new ideas. I can't promise that I will use any of them, but I will read what you send.

Vanishing Raptor: I'm glad you think so! It always bugged me how measured character development slowly fell to the wayside as the series went on. Personally as a writer, I feel that it's the characters that drive the plot, not the other way around. There is quite a bit of character development for a number of characters in this chapter, so let me know what you think!

Scarllete: Thanks! Naruto's Jinchuriki status is a tricky thing. If everyone knew he was a Jinchuriki, there wouldn't be too much of an issue. But considering that most of the village thinks he's the Kyubi itself...It's going to cause quite a few issues. More so for Sakura then Hinata. Hinata has the political might of the Hyuga behind her, while Sakura doesn't. But having a big clan has its own issues. So to answer your question directly, yes, Naruto's Jinchuriki status will cause a number of issues with his relationships with Sakura and Hinata.

Kit: Naruto might be the best in the world, but Hiruzen prefers to live in his own world, realizing that he would have to answer for all of his decisions if he left it. So while he is wrong, his position is understandable. Doesn't make it right. And don't worry. The Third won't be able to keep his current world-view for much longer.

Animaman: Honestly, I don't plan on making it a harem. If you look at every place outside of Konoha, you'll find at least several females that want Naruto on one level or another. As far as Ino goes, she better start shaping up or she's going to get left behind. Eventually she is going to get a wakeup call, but how harsh it is depends on how the rest of her team interacts with Team Eight and Naruto. Naruto has a way of forcing you to change, for good or ill. And Hiruzen is starting on the path to learn what exactly the village has done to Naruto. But I can't guarantee his reaction is going to be "good." Although, I will say, there are certain laws that have _definitely _ been violated by the village.

drannakka: It's not a elemental version of Tsunade's super strength. From what I understand of Tsunade's technique, she enhances her muscles a split-second before she hits, greatly increasing their power. Naruto is doing the opposite, he is coating the limb with too much unstable chakra before he hits, and then simply forcing the unstable blast in one direction. While the end result looks the same, think of it as Tsunade's technique is the result of having perfect chakra control; while Naruto's is the result of having truly immense chakra reserves and a healing factor. And in a early draft of this chapter, Naruto got Kubikiribocho. However, at this time, I felt that Naruto was too much of a hands-on type of fighter, and he wouldn't, as a character, fight much with a blade. That could change as he matures though. As time goes on, all of the team members of Team Eight will teach each other all of the jutsus they know. And you are correct, increasing their reserves is going to be a top priority of the team, since they believe, correct or not, that if they had more chakra they might have been able to change the outcome of this chapter.

midnightscar17: I honestly can't say I've heard anything about that. And as far as narusaku goes, I honestly don't know. I try not to force characters into definite pairings this early on. So I guess we'll just have to see.

bloodbrother 18: I'm glad you like it! I too have often felt like the scenes are often forced. I mean, once Naruto isn't screaming all the time like in cannon, he really wouldn't randomly flip out on his client's grandson. I honestly don't know if Haku will end up with Naruto. There's a chance, granted it's a small one, but still a chance. Haku is an interesting character. She is much more mature and grown up then Sakura or Hinata, but at the same time she has this servant complex. So she looks at things from a slightly different angle then most people. But I can safely say that she will be attempting to help Naruto with his emotions and how he views himself. And a happy belated Thanksgiving to you too!

Fyreyes: Thanks for the critique! To be honest, I didn't even notice that I overused the exclamation mark until you pointed it out. While I will probably continue to use them a bit too much, I toned down on them quite a bit in this chapter. So thanks again for the advice!

Guest: I honestly don't know. It's too early for me to know that.

Carolyn12: Yeah...It doesn't end well for Gato at all. Not one bit.

* * *

><p><strong>So what did you think? Drop a review to let me know what you thought or if you have questions about the chapter andor the Harold of the End Universe!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Unraveling

**Hello everyone! I sincerely apologize for taking so long to put out a chapter. Work as been very chaotic lately, but hopefully soon I will be able to move to a different position with normalized hours. In other news, this story has gotten over 10,000 views and over 100 favorites!**

**First, I would like to officially say that I have no plans of turning this story into a harem. At this current time, I can't honestly see Sakura or even Hinata for that matter, sharing Naruto with anyone. Secondly, I had to create several OCs for this chapter. I try to avoid creating unnecessary OCs, but I couldn't find anyone how fit the roles I needed. I am marking this as an AU change.**

**Responses to your awesome reviews are at the bottom.**

**Mach Farcon does not own Naruto. **

**And without any more delay, here's the next chapter! Chapter 8: The Unraveling **

* * *

><p>Naruto awoke from his nightmares with a stifled shout. He congratulated himself on being much quieter when he awoke now. He didn't, after all, want to wake anyone else up. As awareness came to him, a massive grin crossed his face. Today was the day he was moving into the new apartmenthouse. Naruto grinned as he thought about how Hinata's father had personally signed the documents for his new place. And the rent was so much cheaper. He idly wondered what he would do with all of the extra money he was bound to have. He shrugged. Perhaps one of his friends would know...

As Naruto walked into the bathroom to start his morning, he idly wondered yet again about Haku's strange attitude. They had arrived back yesterday from the mission to Wave. After he had met with Hinata-Chan's father to sign the paperwork, Naruto and Haku had headed back to the blonde's apartment. After they had packed the few items that were not already in sealing scrolls, they had run into their first issue. Haku had insisted that Naruto take the bed while he took the couch. Naruto, however, insisted that Haku take the bed since she was his guest. Naruto hadn't ever had someone stay over at his apartment before, but he recalled Sakura-Chan's mother saying something about letting a guest stay in your bed. Eventually, Haku relented after a long argument.

A little while later, Naruto exited the bathroom into an aroma of delicious smells. Naruto sniffed, quickly determining that the origin of the wonderful smelling ramen was coming from his kitchen. Naruto grabbed a shirt and headed out to investigate. As he entered the small kitchen, he spotted Haku stirring a pot of savory ramen.

"Haku-Chan!" Naruto happily asked, "Is that ramen for the both of us?"

Haku gave one final stir before answering. "Naruto-Sama! This ramen is for you! I haven't made ramen in a long time, but I did my best!" She turned around. "Naruto-Sama, please go out and wait at the table. I will bring the food out in a few minutes!"

Naruto shrugged, confused, and headed out to the table. To his slight surprise, the table was already set. As Naruto waited for his meal, he wondered if this was what people did when they stayed at someone else's house. Were you supposed to make food for them? Naruto, after pondering the idea for a minute or two, decided to ask Sakura-Chan to find out for certain. He was distracted from his thoughts by Haku bringing a bowl of delicious ramen to his spot.

"Do you like it Naruto-Sama?" Haku asked hesitantly, unsure if she had made the ramen correctly.

"It's great Haku-Chan!" Naruto praised between bites. "It's some of the best ramen I've ever had!" Haku flushed slightly from the blonde's exuberant praise as she sat down with her own bowl of ramen.

A half hour, and more then several bowls of ramen later, Naruto leaned back with a satisfied stretch. "That was some of the best ramen ever!" He congratulated Haku, "You made it great!"

"Thank-you Naruto-Sama!" Haku bowed, feeling uncomfortable with all of the blonde's praise. She quickly gathered up the used dinnerware, planning on using her bloodline to quickly wash them. As she started to wash the dishes, she called back into the eating area. "Naruto-Sama! When are you planning on filling out the paperwork for this apartment? While you are doing that, I will take all of your things to the new house." She paused for a moment as she concentrated on her bloodline. "I will also be picking up a few things at the store. I will meet you at the house in a few hours."

"I'm going to head out now, Haku-Chan!" Naruto called back, standing up and heading towards the door. He idly wondered as he opened it what the landlord would say when he was informed that Naruto was moving out. The blonde shrugged. It didn't really matter. The paperwork Naruto had signed a few years ago had stated that he could have his apartment taken away if someone else wanted it and if he talked about his rent he would be evicted.

* * *

><p>Junpei Teligan grunted to himself. He was bored. He was currently sitting in his office waiting for something to happen. Junpei was the 'lucky' one who was voted to be the landlord of the demon. Part of him was proud of the fact that he was considered smart and subtle enough to warrant such a important position. Junpei had been able to, though carefully worded paperwork, take practically all of the little demon fox's money. The council had hoped that this would drive the demon to buy cheap food, thus allowing them to poison the fox. Sadly this had not happened yet. The sound of the office door opening broke the plain-faced man from his musings.<p>

Naruto entered the landlord's office. The bell above the door rang out as the door opened. Junpei, the landlord, seemed quite shocked to see him; Naruto noted. Naruto walked up to the desk and greeted the friendly landlord. "Hello Junpei-San! How are you today?"

"I-I am doing fine!" The badly rattled civilian stuttered. _"Did I summon the demon with my errant thoughts?"_ Junpei thought, horrified by the thought. It was a testament to his excellent acting skills that none of his internal horror appeared on his face. After taking a few moments to compose himself, Junpei asked his...tenant why he was in his office.

"Well, Junpei-San, I'm here to tell you that I'm moving out." Naruto informed him, much to the landlord's utter shock.

Junpei barely kept his eyes from widening. He turned away quickly, pretending that he needed to get the paperwork, as he quickly went into the back of the office. "I'll be just a minute, Naruto!" He called out as he was searching for a certain piece of paperwork that would require the demon to stay under his watchful eye. As he searched, he called out to Naruto, hoping to glean more information. "So where are you moving to?"

"It's the house right outside of the Hyuga clan compound." Naruto answered, unable to hide his excitement at the thought of moving to a bigger apartment. His sensitive ears picked up a _thud_ and a stifled curse from his landlord. A moment later Junpei-San came out of the back room with a small stack of papers in hand.

"All right, Naruto!" He began, his acting skills coming into play once again, "Just sign these few documents and you'll be free to go!"

Junpei watched the demon fox shut the door with welcoming smile. As soon as the door clicked close, his smile melted off his face. An alarmed expression broke onto his face as he worried about this new terrible development. The demon wasn't going to be constantly watched now! What would horrible thing it do while unsupervised? And it wasn't like they could just switch locations and continue watching the fox. He was next to the Hyuga compound. Junpei had heard stories of the powerful eyes of the Hyuga. It was said that they could see though walls! If that was the case, how could they stop the demon now?

Junpei quickly determined that he needed to speak to his contact on the council. They had to know this troubling development! The landlord quickly moved to the office door, locked it, flipped the open sign to closed, and left the office. He hurried though town, fear granting him haste. After he traveled for exactly twenty minutes, he ducked into an abandoned ally to continue. He normally stayed away from alleys, but this called for all due speed. As he waved into another ally, he suddenly felt a slight pinprick of pain in the right side of his neck. His hand flew up to his neck with a muttered curse. Suddenly, his arms felt heavy, as if they suddenly gained fifty pounds. A second later, his legs grew numb. Junpei staggered forward, terribly confused as to what was going on. Three weaving steps later, his knees gave out and he tumbled to the ground. His vision swam, darkness encroaching in. His last terrified, coherent thought was that he _just didn't understand what was happening!_

* * *

><p>Haku quietly hummed as she entered the house. It was easy, as she expected, to buy items when the foolish villagers didn't know she was Naruto-Sama's tool. Normally she would have informed everyone of her new role, but getting <em>quality <em>items for Naruto-Sama was more important. She allowed herself a small smirk as she thought of Naruto-Sama's reaction to his _new_ bed. She had only slept on his old one night, but she could safely say that sleeping on the ground in a bedroll was probably just as comfortable, if not more so. The bed sales man had been very helpful in getting her the perfect product for Naruto-Sama. She wondered, with an amused smile, what the salesman would have done had he known _who_ the bed was really for...

She hummed to herself as she started unpacking the bed from the sealing scroll. After finishing putting together both her and Naruto's beds, she started unpacking the rest of Naruto-Sama's items. It was sad, she realized, that Naruto-Sama had so few things. She frowned unhappily, her pretty face scrunching. She just didn't understand. Why did this village hate Naruto-Sama's bloodline when they loved all the other ones?

She heard the door open as Naruto entered the house. "Haku-Chan!" He called, "I got all of the paperwork done! This place is ours now!"

"That's great Naruto-Sama!" Haku exclaimed happily as she entered the room, genuinely happy that _her_ master finally had a place that was protected from the villagers as well as a place he could feel at home. She vowed, in that instant as she looked at Naruto's happy sky-blue eyes, that she would make this a _home._ It wasn't until sometime later that she realized one very massive issue with her vow: She _herself_ had no idea of what a _home_ was. _"This"_ She silently decided, _"Is an unforgivable breach of knowledge on my part. How can I be a useful tool to Naruto-Sama if I cannot even give him a home? I must find someone who has a home to learn what techniques they use!"_

As the two teenagers unpacked the few items that they had on the second floor, the door bell sounded out. Momentarily startled by the sound, both teens quickly moved to the ground floor to see who was at the door. About halfway down the steps, Naruto broke out in a happy grin. "It's Sakura-Chan!" A moment later he added, "Hinata-Chan and Kurenai-Sensei are also with her!" Naruto vaulted down the remaining steps eager to let his friends in. He rushed up to the door and threw it open.

"Naruto-Kun!" Hinata gasped in surprise, having not expected him to throw the door open, "Hello!"

"Hi Hinata-Chan!" Naruto greeted happily, gesturing to the group on the front step to enter. "We're still unpacking, but come in! Haku-Chan made some of the best ramen this morning!"

"Haku-_San_ made _ramen_ for you?" Sakura spoke up, her voice fluctuating between shock and anger. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we have some right?" She asked, her voice innocent.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't see why she would mind."

"Naruto-Kun." Kurenai began, gaining the blonde's attention, "Here is a house warming gift." She presented the surprised teen with a wrapped box. Seeing him start to open his mouth to protest, she quickly explained, "People give gifts to those they care about. It is tradition to give gifts when they move to a new house. When I move to a different place someday, you can give me a gift."

"Naruto-Kun," Hinata handed him a gift shyly, "Here is one from me." Naruto accepted the medium sized box with a slightly strange expression on his face. Sakura also handed the blonde her gift. Naruto still felt slightly overwhelmed by the idea that someone would care so much about him that they would take the time to get him a gift. He quickly sank into the couch. After staring at the gifts with some indefinable emotion, he shunted the strange feeling to the side. He quickly opened the top gift, the one from Hinata. In the medium sized box was a new black shirt. It was a long sleeved shirt with an orange spiral on the one side. Naruto just stared at the shirt, unsure if he should wear it. It was a very nice shirt after all.

"Well, " Sakura asked impatiently, "Aren't you going to try it on?"

Naruto blinked, "Right here?" Sakura and Hinata instantly flushed red.

Kurenai, seeing that both of her students were temporarily unable to respond, replied "No. You should go into the bathroom to change. You're not supposed to change in front of others." Naruto nodded. It made sense. He had never seen someone change in front of him before.

As soon as Naruto left the room to change, Sakura and Hinata turned around to berate their teacher, unhappy that she had informed Naruto that he couldn't change in front of them. Kurenai pointed out, "You do realize that had I not informed him, he would end up changing in front of _other_ girls right?"

Sakura's and Hinata's mouths snapped shut. Hinata looked grateful to her sensei while Sakura looked angry at the thought of some _other_ girl getting a glimpse of Naruto. The sound of Haku entering the room broke the awkward air that had started to develop. "Hello Kurenai-San, Hinata-San, and Sakura-San." She softly greeted with a bow. "Where is Naruto-Sama?"

"Naruto-_Kun_ is changing into the shirt _Hinata-Chan_ bought him." Sakura answered, still evidently not liking Haku. Haku inclined her head. "Then I shall wait for Naruto-Sama here."

A minute later Naruto reentered the room. All three of the girls flushed slightly as they took in his new shirt. It's button down design led a more formal air to him, while the shirt was filled out with his growing muscle. Naruto scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment at all of the attention. "That bad, huh?" He asked, half jokingly.

"N-No!" Sakura burst out, "You look great!" She flushed a deeper red at her bold words. "B-But you should only wear that on special occasions! Like going out to dinner or something!" Naruto nodded. He wasn't sure why Haku-Chan's, Hinata-Chan's, and Sakura-Chan's faces were red, but Kurenai sensei was there to help them. He headed back to change back into his normal t-shirt.

As Sakura attempted to get her blush under control, a sudden thought occurred to her. "Hinata-Chan, how did you know what size to get Naruto-Kun?"

Hinata flushed a deeper red and began to poke her two index fingers together. "N-No reason Sakura-Chan." She replied, looking down at the floor.

"Really?" Sakura pressed, "I find it hard to believe that you just _guessed_!"

"I-I m-may have looked at N-Naruto-Kun's clothes once." Hinata quietly confessed, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"What!" Sakura half-shouted, looking scandalized. "When did you do that?"

Hinata refused to look her in the eye. "A little while ago."

Any further discussion was halted by Naruto's reentry into the room. He quickly headed over to Hinata and gave her a massive hug. Hinata let out a squeak of surprised shock and almost fainted. "Thank-You Hinata-Chan! I love your gift!" Naruto exclaimed. He quickly moved to open the next gift, oblivious to Hinata's brightly glowing face.

Naruto started opening the smallest box next. Sakura leaned forward as _her_ Naruto-Kun opened the gift that she had given him. Naruto opened the box and gave out a gasp of awed shock. He slowly lifted the pristine kunai out of the padded box. He grinned as he spun the kunai around in his hand. He had never found such a good kunai as this one laying around! After marveling at the perfect balance and weight of the razor sharp weapon, he slid it into his kunai holster. Sakura was able to successfully suppress a Hinata-like squeak of surprise when Naruto engulfed her in a warm hug as he thanked her. Sakura was certain that she was rivaling Hinata with her blush.

Naruto opened the last gift. After he opened the box, he stared down at the items, confused. Kurenai, seeing his confusion, explained her gift. "It's a beginner set of training weights. You infuse them with chakra and they will get heavier." Naruto grinned happily. He could just imagine how strong he would get with weights! He quickly strapped on his new training gear, excited to train. After bouncing on his feet, his grin never fading, he gave a massive hug to Kurenai before rushing off to change into his training clothes, eager to test out the training weights. The other occupants in the room couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm.

A few minutes later, Naruto raced back into the room. "Let's go train!" He cheered as he skidded to a stop, nearly slamming into the couch as he entered the living room. Kurenai chuckled at Naruto's near crash for a moment before asking, "How much chakra did you put into the weights?"

"I dunno." The blonde shrugged. "I just kept pushing chakra into them until they wouldn't take anymore."

Kurenai sighed. She really should have seen this coming. "Naruto. You are supposed to increase the weight a little at a time. So you build muscle and power without sacrificing anything else."

"Ohhhh..." Naruto verbalized. He had thought it kind of odd that they hindered his movement, but he had never worn weights either. He plopped down and poked the release seal on the weights. The almost deafening _BOOM_ that issued as all of the chakra rushed out at once made Kurenai glad that the beginner training weights only allowed a small amount of chakra. Naruto carefully push a bit of chakra back into the weights.

The Uzumaki stood up. This was much easier than before! He didn't have to struggle to stand up. "Let's go training!" He cheered once again. After a moment, he turned to face Haku. "Haku-Chan, you don't have to come with us if you don't want to. It's just a training session."

Haku bowed with relief. "Thank-You Naruto-Sama! The house will be completely clean by the time you return!"

* * *

><p>As Team Eight walked toward their training ground, Naruto turned to Kurenai and asked, "Kurenai-Sensei, you never told us how you defeated that missing nin in Wave."<p>

Kurenai looked over at her team. "Do you really want to know?" Seeing the eager nods, she started to recount her fight...

_Kurenai dodged out of the way of the wild swing. The instantaneous fallow up swing caused her to leap back from her opponent. The missing nin let out another chuckle as he heedlessly charged in her direction. She brought up her kunai to block another sword swing, and instantly regretted it. The power behind the sword swing almost tore the kunai from her hands. Her hands to stung from the force of the blow. She dodged the second and third attack. As she leapt back, she got her first good look at the missing ninja. He was tall and extremely muscled, but not to the point of grotesque. Scars, both small and large, crisscrossed every inch of exposed skin. He, unlike many missing nin, did not have the forehead protector of his former village. Instead, he had a long red piece of cloth tied around his head. His black hair was cut short, almost to the scalp. His dark eyes showed a strange mixture of bloodlust, cunning, and madness that was more than slightly unsettling. _

_"What is your name?" She questioned the missing nin, seeking to buy a little time and space. _

_"Ha! My name is Anaguma Kuma!" The missing nin laughed. "Hold still so I can gut ya!" Anaguma charged the Konoha Jonin once again, letting out another deep chuckle. Kurenai dodged, her hands rapidly forming the signs for the fire wall technique. She took a deep breath as she landed. The moment both her feet touched the ground, she hand sprung backward away from the missing nin. As soon as she gained the proper distance, she unleashed the fire technique! A small ten foot wall of fire separated her from Anaguma. Knowing she had only a few seconds before the battle-thirsty missing ninja caught up to her, she quickly wove though the hand signs for the Hell Viewing Technique. It wasn't even a second after she reached the final hand seal when Anaguma charged directly _though_ the wall of fire. She hastily cast the genjutsu on the sword wielding Anaguma. To her utter shock and horror, he simple continued charging her, despite the technique. "Ha ha ha!" He laughed. "You think your fancy illusions will stop me!" Kurenai eyes widened further as the missing ninja seemed to be immune to the technique's illusion. She desperately leapt back once again._

_"Don't you want to know my name?" She desperately asked as she dodged away from the blindingly fast swings. She needed more time to set up her genjutsu. She was fairly confident that she could take care of him once her genjutsu took hold, but she needed him to not be next to her. _

_"Sure." Anaguma allowed with an amused chuckle. "It's always good for someone to remember you when you DIE!" _

_"I'm Kurenai Yuhi, Jonin of Konoha." The black-haired woman introduced, carefully easing back several steps. As soon as she reached ten steps back, her hands blurred into action, weaving the seals for one of her area of effect genjutsus. As Anaguma charged forward with a cackle, he charged directly into the genjutsu. _

_The Konoha ninja, knowing that the genjutsu wouldn't hold him for long, leapt away and began her strongest genjutsu combo. She layered three genjutsus on the missing nin, each one more subtle then the last. The idea was that the enemy would quickly dispel the first genjutsu. If they were clever or paranoid, they would dispel the second one, but still be under the effects of the third. _

_Anaguma looked around wildly. Where had the black-haired lady gone? She had quite literally disappeared ten feet in front of him! "It must be genjutsu!" He quickly realized. He spiked his chakra, dispelling the illusion. He frowned. She still hadn't reappeared. _

_"You're a tricky one!" The missing nin suddenly laughed. "Double layering that illusion shit!" He dispelled the genjutsu once again. Kurenai readied her kunai, preparing to throw them at the missing ninja. Before she did, she quickly took the extra precaution of placing another area of effect illusion. This one lengthened the bridge edge by five feet, making it seem that the bridge extended for that much more distance. _

_She threw the kunai. Anaguma, being unable to see or hear the speeding kunai due to the genjutsu still effecting him, was stuck in the center of his torso by the four kunai. He glanced down. Not seeing any kunai, he quickly realized what had happened. "You're good!" He laughed, "Real good! Had you been facing any other ninja, that combo would have worked! But you're not facing just any ninja! You're facing Anaguma Kuma! And I don't give a fuck about your little illusions!"_ _He wildly spiked his chakra, dispelling the last remaining illusion on him. _

_Kurenai's eyes widened. The missing nin had several kunai buried in his chest, and not only was he not dead, but he also didn't seem to care in the slightest. She paled slightly as he spied her again. He readied his sword and charged! _

_Kurenai, not seeing any alternatives, decided to take a page from Naruto's book and spent the next several minutes carefully leading the missing nin over to the side of the bridge. When she almost reached the real edge of the bridge, with only the illusion stretching behind her, she stumbled over a discarded piece of wood, tumbling backwards to fall directly onto her back! _

_"Ha ha! You're in trouble now!" Anaguma chuckled as he charged. Kurenai, at the last possible second, rolled out of the way of the missing ninja's headlong charge. Anaguma, being unable to stop, shot past her and over the illusionary bridge. Kurenai swore that she heard the crazy sword wielder continue to laugh as he fell the fifty feet to the water. She quickly looked over the edge. Anaguma was nowhere to been seen. A truly massive spike of malicious chakra caused her to leave her vigil. She quickly headed toward her students last location, furiously chastising herself for taking so much time in defeating that missing ninja._

"Wow! You're amazing Sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, "You were able to think of several plans to stop the ninja!"

Kurenai smiled to herself as her students congratulated her. A sudden thought occurred to her. "Team, we are going to do something different with training going forward! We are going to teach each other what jutsu we know!" She decided. "Even if the jutsu isn't your element, it's still useful to know. I am certain that if I had known more jutsus, I would have ended the fight a lot sooner." It went unspoken that she still blamed herself for causing Naruto to use the Kyubi's chakra.

* * *

><p>As Team Eight neared the training grounds, they spotted Team Ten nearing the training grounds as well. Spotting Team Eight, Team Ten jogged over to them. While Asuma and Kurenai discussed the reasons for their teams going to the training ground, the Genin members of the two teams broke off into two groups. Sakura, Hinata, and Ino moved into one group; while Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji grouped together.<p>

"So Forehead," Ino began, "I heard that you went on another mission." She raised one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows. "I also heard that you got knocked out of the fight, requiring Naruto to save you."

Sakura scowled at her former friend's almost taunting tone. "Still uselessly throwing yourself at Sasuke?" She shot back.

Ino's eyes narrowed as she fired back, "Still trying to get a clan-less Baka?"

Sakura barely kept her composure Ino's insult. Ino, spotting Sakura facial expression, gave a victorious smirk at having won this round of verbal sparring. Sakura sent a sideways glance at the two talking Jonin, an idea forming. "Say, Ino-Pig, I've got a bet for you." She casually spoke, holding up her hand as if inspecting her fingernails.

"Oh Yeah?" Ino shot back skeptically, "What are you offering?"

"If you win, I'll tell you the best gossip in the village." Seeing Ino's eyes light up at the thought of learning such news, she continued. "But if I win, you're going to have to show your father some notes I took about someone regarding their behavior. And you'll have to tell me what he says after he reads them!"

Ino thoughts about the deal for a moment. She didn't see any harm with Sakura's request, in the unlikely event that the pinkette somehow won. "I accept!" The blonde girl shook her hand with her former friend.

Meanwhile, the three boys were conversing about Naruto's last mission. "So what you're saying is that Kakashi took down Zabuza, an A-Ranked missing ninja, single-handily?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Yep!" Naruto confirmed. "I know that all he seems to do is read those orange books, but he is really strong!" Naruto paused for a second, trying to remember an important detail. "Oh! Zabuza called him 'Sharingan no Kakashi'! Does that mean that he is secretly an Uchiha?" Naruto reported.

"I don't think so." Choji stated between munches of his chips. Choji was a member of the Akimichi clan, the Akimichi clan possessing secret family techniques that allowed them to convert calories into chakra. This lead the members of the clan to eat almost constantly, allowing them to build up a large reserve of stored calories so they could replenish their chakra.

"Indeed." Shikamaru nodded. "If Kakashi was a secret member of the Uchiha clan, then he wouldn't be known as 'Kakashi of the Sharingan'. Given that he is known by that name, it stands to reason that people know of his eyes. Also considering that Sasuke is known as 'The Last Uchiha' it means that Kakashi _can't_ be a member of the Uchiha." He paused for the briefest of seconds, thinking. "It is much more likely that he had his Sharingan implanted. It would also explain why he has to keep the eye with the Sharingan covered. Implanted Sharingan are always active and thus consume Chakra if they are picking up any details." He extrapolated. Seeing the other two boys awed expressions at his analysis, he shrugged. "The Sharingan is a troublesome eye. It is even more troublesome when it could be used by anyone. We learned all we could about the eye to form strategies to fight it. " The laid-back Nara let out a long-suffering sigh. "Such a drag."

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Choji turned to Naruto and asked, "So Naruto, how's your team doing?" Naruto tilted his head at the large boy. The Akimichi seemed genuinely interested in Naruto's life. Naruto grinned and began his tale.

"Well, since we last talked, we went on this mission..." The two boys listened intently, their imaginations captured by Naruto's tale of a village under siege by a greedy man, combat that was almost too fantastic to believe, and terrifyingly powerful enemy ninja. As Naruto reached the climax of the final fight, he carefully edited the story to avoid spilling his secret about his Jinchuriki status. As the tale reached it's end, he glanced over at the other two Genin standing next to him. Shikamaru looked intrigued, as if he had some new, exciting information to think about. Choji, by contrast, looked slightly shaken.

"D-Did you really kill all of those thugs?" The brown haired by shakily asked, his face slightly pale at the thought of having to kill another person.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. "They wanted to _hurt_ Sakura-Chan, Hinata-Chan, Kurenai-Sensei, and Haku-Chan!" Naruto's eyes hardened. "So I killed them!"

An awkward silence settled over the small group following Naruto's cold words. Having to yet take a life, it was almost unfathomable to think that one of their number, the happy-go-lucky dead-last at that, had taken so many lives simply because they threatened his team. The air was eventually broken by Asuma, who came over to inform the boys of the plan he and Kurenai had decided upon.

"So," He began, oblivious to the awkward air hovering over the Genins, "Kurenai-San and I have decided to have a team training session together! First we are going to have a friendly spar, and then exchange training methods and ideas. If you want, you guys can decide who you want to fight on the opposite team." He turned away, missing both Choji and Shikamaru pale slightly as they realized their conundrum. One the one hand, one of them would have to spar with one of the kunoichi from Team Eight. Naruto had just gotten done telling a story of how he _killed_ when they were threatened...

On the other hand, one of them would have to fight Naruto _himself_. It was a potential loose-loose situation. Choji hesitantly extended his hand toward Shikamaru. "Rock-Paper-Scissors? Winner gets to spar with Naruto?" Shikamaru nodded, his mind still attempting to figure out the purpose behind this sparring match. A moment later, it was decided. Shikamaru Nara would be facing Naruto Uzumaki. "So very troublesome." He groaned, just thinking of all of the work and effort he would have to put into the spar made him feel tired. Despite his tiredness, he immediately began creating strategies, counter strategies, back-up strategies, and back-up counter strategies using every scrap of information he knew about his opponent.

Choji, by contrast, was attempting not to worry about which one of the Team Eight kunoichi he would be facing. If it was Hinata, it wouldn't be that bad. She would attempt to disable him, and as long as he stayed away, he should be relatively safe. Sakura, on the other hand, slightly scared him. He remembered back in the Academy when she would simply beat her opponent into the ground. Choji very much wanted to come out of this with minimal bruising, thank-you very much. He quickly looked at the group of Genin females a short distance away. Spotting Ino and Sakura glaring at each other, he felt fairly confident that he would be facing Hinata. He let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Gather around students!" Asuma called a few minutes later. "It's time for a sparring match! Keep in mind that this is just a _friendly_ sparring match!" He paused for a brief moment. "Ino will be sparring with Sakura. Shikamaru has decided to spar Naruto. Choji will be facing Hinata." Seeing the apprehensive expressions on the male members of his team, he grinned around his cigarette, and continued. "We will start with Shikamaru vs Naruto, then Choji vs Hinata, and lastly Ino vs Sakura."

* * *

><p>Naruto and Shikamaru walked into the center of the training field, the latter walking slowly when compared to the former. Asuma looked at Shikamaru and hid his grin. He idly wondered if the intelligent Genin had already figured out the reason behind this sparring match. While it was good to make plans and strategies, sometimes you just had to go with your instincts and just <em>react.<em> Up until this point, Shikamaru had been able to plan his way through training and each D-Rank mission. Given that they would be having their first C-Rank mission in two days, Asuma realized that he needed to show his students that sometimes the plan never survived contact with the enemy. He would train his students into the ground if that's what it took for them to survive the dangerous world ahead of them.

Shikamaru eyed his a opponent across the training field. Naruto was perhaps seventy or seventy-five feet away. The young Nara had several plans in place that should work with marginal success, but he knew that the blonde wouldn't make it so easy. _"Troublesome blondes."_ He sighed to himself. He quickly prepared several plans for when Naruto inevitably closed to start hand-to-hand combat. Shikamaru knew that he was no match for the Uzumaki in a heated combat, but he had several ideas that should do more than even the odds against the energetic blonde. He indicated his readiness to his equally troublesome sensei.

Naruto readied himself for the fight ahead. He knew that even though all he had seen from Shikamaru was his shadow techniques, he couldn't assume that was all that the Nara knew. Naruto had the tentative plan of creating clones to push the Nara into a trap were Naruto could force a win. It was after all, Naruto reminded himself, a _friendly_ sparring match. He indicated his readiness to Asuma with a confident thumbs-up.

" Hajime!"

The second the match started, Naruto snapped his hands up into his signature cross symbol. White smoke blanketed the area. Shikamaru tensed. What happened in a moment would decide the victor of the match. As the smoke began to dissipate, ten blondes hurled themselves towards the shadow user. His eyes widened. Shikamaru hurriedly threw a dozen kunai at the clones, seeking to thin their ranks; knowing that it would be disastrous if he allowed them to get within touching distance. His eyes widened in alarm as he watched _all but one _ of the clones dodge his kunai. He dodged a kunai being thrown back as he leapt back towards the trees, his hands already forming the hand signs for the shadow imitation technique. The clones closed in on the Nara as he landed on the ground. The leading clone's hand froze a mere _six inches_ from Shikamaru's face. "Kagemane no Jutsu success!" He intoned.

Suddenly an arm wrapped around neck, twisting it upwards! Shikamaru froze as he felt cold steel touch his throat. "I win." Naruto's low voice ghosted in his ear. Shikamaru carefully nodded, being hyperaware of the undoubtedly razor sharp kunai at his throat. He gave a sigh of relief as Naruto let go of his neck and retracted the kunai. After massaging his sore neck for a moment, Shikamaru turned to Naruto.

"How did you maneuver around me?" He asked, having already gone over the fight _twice_ in his mind.

"Well," Naruto began, his voice becoming slightly embarrassed. "I figured you would think I would just charge you with a frontal assault, since I'm good at close combat. So I gave you an assault. When I first created my clones at the start of the spar, I Hedged into a kunai while the smoke blocked your view." As Naruto continued to explain, a note of pride and accomplishment entered his tone. "So when you threw the kunai at my clones, one of them let themselves be hit. The clone next to him threw the transformed kunai at you from the smoke. Since you expected me to retaliate as I got closer to you, you ignored it. It was simple to transform back into myself at that point and sneak up behind you as my clones distracted you." Shikamaru stared at the blonde in shock as Naruto finished. The young Nara had no idea that Naruto could come up with such efficient plans. He eyed Naruto with renewed interest. Perhaps he was too hasty when he considered not befriending the energetic blonde. Shikamaru resolved to befriend Naruto, realizing that he was nothing like the clan rumors had said.

"So uh, boss?" One of the nine clones hesitantly asked, "What do you want us to do?"

"I dunno." Naruto shrugged. "Go train I guess?" The leading clone saluted his creator and then the group of shadow clones headed off, intent on working out the kinks in one of their combat moves. As Naruto and Shikamaru headed back to the group, they spied an unhappy Asuma handing money to a familiar figure.

"Kakashi!" Naruto exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" During the down time on the last mission, Kakashi had befriended the blonde to a certain extent. While Naruto didn't consider them friends, he did know that Kakashi didn't want to harm him. In addition, Kakashi had taught him water-walking during an impromptu training session. Naruto was thankful to the grey hair ninja for his help, considering that the Jonin took the time to sit down and explain how the training worked.

"Well, " Kakashi's eye scrunched up slightly as he smiled down at the happy blonde. "I got lost on the road to life, and I found myself here. My fellow Jonin, " He indicated the still unhappy Asuma, with a slight nod of his head "Saw fit to tell me that _his_ Genin would barely loose against you. I challenged him to put his money where his mouth was, so to speak." Kakashi chuckled slightly in satisfaction. "Easiest money I ever made."

"W-Why would you bet on _me_?" A bewildered Naruto asked, not understanding why someone would _risk_ money on him. After all, the blonde _knew_ that he wasn't anything special.

"Because I believe in you." Kakashi's simple reply shocked the blonde. Never before had someone simply _believed_ in him! Naruto still didn't understand _why_ Kakashi believed in him, but knowing that he _did,_ was one of the most heady feelings he had ever had.

"Well, I suppose I must be off. I think the road to life is taking me towards my Genin." Kakashi idly commented. Seeing the true smile slowly spread unconsciously across Naruto's face, the grey haired ninja headed off, his heart lighter, having accomplished what he set out to do today. He had made countless mistakes, Kakashi admitted privately to himself, but after seeing what Naruto had gone through, he was determined to not make any more.

Kakashi's words echoed pleasantly in Naruto's mind. He basked in the strange warm feeling that they evoked. He was startled out of his pleasant thoughts by Sakura's voice. "Naruto-Kun! I'm about to start my match!"

Naruto blinked. Apparently he had missed Hinata-Chan's match. Before he could scold himself for being such a terrible friend as to miss her fight, Hinata _herself_ spoke up next to him. "Naruto-Kun, don't feel bad for missing my match! It was even shorter than yours!" Hinata urged, determined to not let _her_ Naruto-Kun feel guilty over not paying attention to a simple match. Seeing his uncertain expression, she earnestly continued. "It's fine Naruto-Kun! It really is!"

"If you're sure..." Naruto replied, still feeling slightly guilty for missing her match. He resolved to watch Sakura's match carefully; so to avoid missing _two_ matches.

* * *

><p>Sakura, seeing that <em>her<em> Naruto-Kun was now paying attention to the impending fight, indicated to Asuma that she was ready for the match to start.

" Hajime!"

"So Forehead," Ino started conversationally, "What are you planning on doing? You precious _Naruto-Kun_ isn't here to help you. It's just you, Sakura Haruno, and me, Ino Yamanaka." The blonde haired girl smirked. "So whatcha' gunna do?" She was startled by Sakura's sudden giggle.

"Y-You think that's going to demoralize me?" Sakura giggled for another moment before quieting her chuckles. She shook her head at the blonde kunoichi in amusement. "You just don't get it do you?"

"Get what?" Ino replied, an uneasy feeling slowly building within her.

"Let me show you." Sakura smirked before her hands quickly began forming hand signs. Ino, seeing the fight had commenced, leapt back and prepared to dodge whatever jutsu her former friend would though at her. After all, Sakura was only good because of her team right?

Sakura suddenly spat several large basket-ball sized water globes at Ino. While the globes didn't move with blinding speed, they did move more quickly than their size seemed to allow. Ino, seeing the danger, gracefully dodged the dangerous projectiles. Her natural flexibility was put to the test as she dodged the barrage of large water bullets. Eventually the shots petered out and Sakura panted lightly, temporally fatigued from rapid chakra expenditure. Ino, seeing her chance, began her clan's signature technique, the Shintenshin no Jutsu.

Sakura breathed out slowly as she straightened. Shooting out so many large water bullets while taking care to slow them down enough so that Ino could dodge them was quite tiring. Her eyes widened as she saw Ino's technique baring down on her. She quickly dodged out of the way, using a handspring to quickly reposition herself. Seeing that Ino was temporally vulnerable, she quickly charged the blonde.

Ino, seeing the danger baring down on her, hurriedly ended her technique. She only had time to blink before she had to defend herself from Sakura's surprisingly strong kick. Ino wasn't even given time to react before she had to frantically block the next to punches from Sakura, each blow leaving the blonde's arms aching. Ino replied with a flurry of attacks herself. Ino was good. She was in the Top Five Genin Kunoichi for a reason. If she was facing a different Genin, they would have been hard pressed to defeat her. She utilized her natural flexibility and her clan's fighting techniques to great effect. But she wasn't fighting someone else. She was fighting Sakura Haruno, a kunoichi from Team Eight. A ninja who had trained with one of the greatest close combat specialists of their generation. She sparred frequently with a lightning using Hyuga. She had seen the fire of life and death combat, and had been forged into a the beginning of a legend. Ino never stood a _chance._

Sakura quickly drove Ino into the muddy ground where all of the pinkette's water bullets had hit the ground. Seeing Sakura reel her fist back for another powerful punch, Ino took the risk and leapt back, dodging the attack!

She could only watch in horrified shock as she saw Sakura switch seamlessly from a punch into several hand seals. Ino was only a scant few inches from the ground when Sakura slammed her hands into the soaked ground. A _fifteen_ foot high wall of water rose in response, towering over the stunned Yamanaka.

A second later, it crashed down onto the terrified blonde! As Ino felt the water crash over her, she suddenly felt the water grow heavy. She struggled weakly, not understanding why she couldn't move. A few seconds later, she almost gasped. She was trapped in a perfect sphere of water! Sakura stood in front of the sphere with a neutral expression on her face.

"Yeld!" Sakura's tone booked no argument. Ino, being in no position to disagree, nodded. The water prison collapsed and Ino fell to her knees, greedily sucking in the precious air. Sakura kneeled next to her. "When you are dry, I'll give you my notes. All I need you to do is give them to your father to read, stay there until he finishes, and tell me what he says." She ordered. All the red-faced Yamanaka could do was nod in acceptance.

Sakura walked over to _her_ team to the cheers of congratulations. She blushed faintly as Naruto enthusiastically congratulated her on her complete domination of the fight. After congratulating Sakura herself, Kurenai pulled her student to the side.

"You're running low on chakra aren't you?" She half asked, half commented to Sakura quietly. Sakura nodded, not seeing any point in hiding her state from her teacher. When Sakura told her sensei that she could continue training even with her reduced chakra, Kurenai shook her head and laughed quietly. "That's quite a Naruto-like answer don't you think?" She shot a mischievous glance at the now blushing girl.

"W-What?" Sakura stammered, feeling her face light up in a pretty flush.

Kurenai giggled. "It's alright Sakura." She leaned in and whispered, "Don't worry. I won't tell _him!_" She pulled back and said in a more louder tone, "Since all of my wonderful students easily won their battles, why don't we all go for some celebratory ramen?"

"RAMEN!" Naruto happily cried out, completely forgetting the whispered words he had just heard.

* * *

><p>"Report!" The Hokage ordered ANBU commando as the ninja entered the Hokage's office. The ANBU kneeled in front of the village leader and began his report.<p>

"Sir! I investigated the shops in the area I was assigned. As it turns out, _every_ shop either bars entry to Naruto Uzumaki or raises the prices so high he will not be able to buy anything there." The bear-masked ANBU didn't allow any emotion to cloud his voice or tone as he completed his report. "By the end of my investigation, I firmly believe that the shop owners feel justified in how they treat Naruto Uzumaki. I saw no signs that they are under duress or are being forced to act the way they do towards him."

Hiruzen let out a noncommittal hum as he sat in his chair following the Bear's report. He had been afraid of this. "At least," He mused out loud to himself, "It's only in one small area. All of the other ANBU reported no issues." He remembered the still kneeling ANBU. "Bear, you may go." The ANBU stood, bowed, and left the room. Once the door closed, Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh. Why did a few villagers hate Naruto so much? _"At least I can tell Naruto where to _not_ shop now. Perhaps this will bring me back into his good graces."_ Hiruzen thought hopefully. He had missed the bright ball of sunshine these last years. Naruto reminded him of all of the reasons he was protecting the village. The Hokage turned to start a new letter to Naruto.

* * *

><p>The ANBU known as Bear was never more thankful for his mask then he was now. Had he not been wearing the mask, his fierce, angry scowl would have instantly put everyone on edge. <em>"I guess Dog-Sama was right about the ANBU."<em> He brooded. _"I didn't want to believe it, but damn! It is true!"_ His scowl deepened as he remembered Dog-Sama's words to him on the previous day.

_"Long time no see, Bear." Kakashi commented idly to the air while he walked into a seemingly abandoned training field. After a few moments, a large man in a bear mask dropped out of the tree in front of him._

_"Long time no see, Dog-Sama." The man greeted. "What brings you to our training field?"_

_"You know I'm not your commander anymore Bear." Kakashi reminded the man. _

_The ANBU known as Bear shook his head. "You will always be our commander Dog-Sama, even if you don't wear the mask anymore!"_

_Kakashi bowed his head. While he didn't crave Bear's allegiance, he couldn't deny that it was incredibly useful. He hated to ask the big ANBU this, but he needed someone he could unequivocally trust._

_"Bear, I have a mission for you." Kakashi spoke, his tone unconsciously slipping into the commanding tone he used while commanding ANBU. Bear straightened, awaiting orders. "What I am about to tell you cannot be told to anyone. Not even the Hokage." Bear shifted, slightly confused. "Before I tell you, I will give you the opportunity to leave now. I will not blame you if you do not want to continue this mission."_

_Bear stood silently for a few moments, considering the situation at hand. While he was technically sworn to the Hokage, his true allegiance was to his commander and the village. And at the root of it all, he _trusted_ Dog-Sama. "I will continue this mission." He finally decided, his voice carrying a note of finality. _

_"Good." Kakashi nodded, his face shifting into a serious expression. "You have heard of Naruto Uzumaki, have you not?" Bear nodded, his face shifting into an unseen grin as he remembered watching the little blonde ball of energy all those years ago. He was still confused how he was pulled off of the protection detail for the Naruto shortly after he started. "What you don't know was that Naruto _isn't_ the Kyubi reborn." Bear snorted, finding the very idea that the bright eyed young boy could be the massive demon fox ridiculous. "Naruto isn't the Kyubi. He is it's Jinchuriki." Even Bear's training couldn't prevent a small gasp of shock from escaping._

_"So knowing this, here is your mission: When you are given a mission by the Hokage regarding Naruto, watch the other ANBU. I believe many of them have perpetrated crimes or allowed crimes against Naruto." _

_"Surely you're wrong!" Bear burst out, unwilling to believe that any of his brothers and sisters in arms would commit such atrocities._

_"Just watch and report to me." Kakashi reiterated. Seeing Bear clasp his arm to his chest in acceptance of his mission, Kakashi pulled out a kunai and swiftly stabbed himself. A moment later he burst into white smoke. _

_"Heh heh." Bear chuckled. "Still using the basics, eh Dog-Sama?" He chuckled again before schooling his expression. He had a mission to complete._

Bear headed out towards the training fields. He had some steam to burn off before he met with Dog-Sama this evening...

* * *

><p>Junpei slowly awoke, his head pounding. He groggily wondered how much he drank the previous night to cause such a massive hangover. He attempted to sit up, only to be brought short almost instantly. He glanced over to his wrist, confused. Junpei gave a start of shock and fear as he saw that he was chained down to a metal gurney. Adrenalin raced though his veins and chased away all of his grogginess. He frantically pulled on the chains as he recalled, with mounting horror, how he had been rendered unconscious.<p>

As his over active imagination played various scenarios, each more horrible then the last, the overwhelmed civilian began to hyperventilate. As he slumped back in the bed on the verge of blacking out, a previously hidden door suddenly opened. Junpei looked over at the door with trembling fear. All he saw was a silhouette outlined by the door's light.

"W-Where a-am I-I?" He cried, fear constricting his heart. "W-Who a-are y-you? W-What do you want?"

"What do I want?" The silhouette echoed, "It's not what I want. It's what you're going to tell me."

"W-What?" Junpei stammered, completely overwhelmed.

"You are going to tell me _everything_ about Naruto Uzumaki and the Council."

* * *

><p><strong>So what did you guys think? Drop a review and let me know! <strong>

**To my reviewers:**

Kit: Naruto will show them all what he can do. Hinata is at an interesting place right now. She is half-way between connecting with her father and half-way of manipulating the clan for _her_ Naruto-Kun's benefit. Time will tell where she ends up. Given that the Chunin exams weren't really even ready for Cannon Naruto, it's safe to say that they _really_ won't be ready for this Naruto.

Psycho1998: I want to apologize for the late chapter once again. It's honestly humbling to hear that someone took the time put down an awesome game like Dragon Age to read and review my story.

Animaman: Well, Sasuke was mostly brooding at the time about how Naruto got to kill more people than him and how Naruto also became the hero of Wave. Given time, however, I'm sure that Sasuke will start thinking about how a "clan-less looser" like Naruto doesn't need a servant. It will be quite the interesting day once that happens. I don't plan on Haku joining a harem. As far as the sword goes, we'll just have to see...As you read in this chapter, Ino got a rather rude awakening. She, as far as I can figure, is simply a person who never really had to fight without her team much, so she seems to not have progressed as a ninja passed her clan techniques. We'll have to see what the result of her loosing this spar will do. I don't plan on bashing her, but sometimes bad things have to happen to someone to facilitate character growth. Hiruzen is still an interesting subject. He found out that some of the village isn't as nice as he thought it was. And considering that he plans on attempting to get back into Naruto's good graces...To answer your question, the clans are being duped just like everyone else. Or they believe that Naruto is the demon himself. Information, when properly used, is a very powerful tool.

guest i am back: Well, I'm honestly curious at which parts you feel aren't working. I'm attempting to capture the idea that while Sakura and Hinata do like Naruto, they are only twelve. I don't know about you, but when I was twelve I had no idea about the true meaning of love or commitment. I enjoy constructive criticism, so don't be afraid to tell me what you believe isn't working. As far as your question goes, I honestly don't know. I've never written a lemon before, and I don't know if there will be one(s) in this story.

Ninjashooter: Thanks!

drannakka: Indeed. Currently several people are attempting to keep the knowledge of the Uzumaki clan's techniques a secret from him, given that he has a _very_ important seal on him. But once he does find out, you're right. He'll throw all of himself into learning it. And while I can't confirm or deny that Naruto will be combining techniques with a sword, I have to admit it is completely a badass idea.

bloodbrother 18: Exactly. While this chapter didn't deal with Sakura's request, given that it takes place only over a span of perhaps three or so hours, you'll see what's going on with that next chapter. Haku is going to have a major impact on how Naruto views himself. While they don't have the exact same physiological issue, they are close enough to draw parallels to their _own_ behavior. Haku will be quite instrumental in helping Naruto with his issues.

DragonFlavor: Thanks! I tried to capture Naruto and Sakura's personalities at that time, before the AU train came along and changed everything. Given that the council seems to have a lot of influence, I could easily see them carefully hindering Naruto's training at the Academy.

DragonFlavor: Time skips are funny that way. On the one hand, you are skipping character growth. So it seems quite forced to a certain extent. On the other hand, if you don't time skip, you end up either having the character not resolve much and your story bogs down. I went for the time skip route and tried to mitigate it the best I could. To be honest, your review made me slow down the progression a bit of the future stories. Looking back, I probably could have added a bit more detail to Naruto's interaction with others. And torture scenes are weird in a way. You don't want to make them too graphic, but on the other hand, you don't want to make it like a one-sided fight. The Shadow Binding technique, from what I understand of it, is based on concentration and holding mass. Given that we know that chakra has mass, I felt that not only would Naruto adding alot of extra chakra make it easier to break free, the Nara's concentration wasn't help by the fact that he thought the fox might be breaking free. I could be completely wrong however.

DragonFlavor: I'm glad you are giving your unbiased opinion. To a certain extent you might be correct. Are the characters true to the original character? Perhaps not. Is the character going through the same things as the cannon character? Not in the slightest. I, as a writer, tend to take things up a notch when I write. Perhaps I shouldn't, but sometimes I can't help it. I had to guess about Sakura's parents, given that we don't know much about them. I felt that it was kind of important that _someone_ in Naruto's little club had a decent family life. Given that we know that Sakura's parents cared for her, I felt that they were the best option. Naruto subconsciously doesn't think he is worth someone else's care. So he doesn't honestly understand why people act the way they do. Given that he isn't the brightest person around, he attempts to draw his own conclusions.

zigmas:There's a slightly funny story of that. I saw that my original spelling was incorrect. But given that I was very tired, I misspelled it even more. I eventually caught my mistake, yeah. And I'm still trying to find that fine line between "this character is OOC" and "different things have happened to this character so they act differently". As far as FEMing Haku goes, that was chosen by the readers in a poll. I don't plan on making it a harem, but I'm always interested in people's thoughts on the matter of Naruto's love life. I don't plan on dropping Hinata any time soon.

7imekeeper: Thanks! Anko is a great character in my opinion. And as the story veers more and more into AU territory, more characters will be affected. The pace of the change has picked up in this chapter, so I suspect that we will be running into new faces soon. And yeah, I completely misspelled the title. And you're right. Naruto is a herald of change. And you are correct. If they would be both with Naruto, simply being "Best Friends" wouldn't be enough. Given that they are still sorting out their feelings towards him, I felt that it would be too soon to make that step past best friends. As they grow closer to Naruto and each other, that will change though.

Vanishing Raptor: Thanks! Character growth is one of the more important things in a novel length story in my opinion. Once you story progresses past the short story level, you need to keep in mind that your characters are living, breathing _people_. They shouldn't just change because the plot demands it. And you have a great day too!

Mithos Yggdrassil: I had to look up who Emiya Shirou was in order to answer your question. To answer your question, Naruto will not remain the way he is. He will gain self worth. It won't happen overnight, however. It is going to take time, love, and patience from those who care about him. You don't break over nine years of emotional trauma within a short time, especially if they have no idea it is going on. However, given that Ino will be giving her father Sakura's notes, they should become aware of Naruto's issue soon enough. I hope that you will continue to read this story, if for no other reason than to see Naruto rise above Shirou's level.


End file.
